


Windrunner

by UninspiredPoet



Series: Windrunner [1]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Women, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/F, Happy Ending, Idiots to friends to lovers, Lesbian Characters, Look at all of these alive elves, No Lesbians Die, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamorous Character, Slow Burn, The eventual sex has happened, Threesome - F/F/F, a magic baby, and pregnancy adult content, mostly just idiots, sigh, there's a baby now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2020-08-23 21:21:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 82,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20227411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UninspiredPoet/pseuds/UninspiredPoet
Summary: Arthas has gone into hiding behind his loss at the Elf Gates and, in the wake of Kael'thas’ banishment, Regent Lord Lireesa, along with the rest of the Windrunner family, prepare to lead the Blood Elves and the not-quite-living human refugees of Lordaeron to Icecrown and to victory.Will Grand Magister Lirath settle into his new position? Will Ranger-General Sylvanas turn the tables on the lovely Lady Jaina Proudmoore of Theramore, who has come to court her people in an attempt to lure them into the Alliance?In a world where a family has become a dynasty, everything has changed.((Disclaimer: My not-for-profit transformative work is only published by me on Archive of Our Own. I do not give my consent or authorization for it to be reproduced or displayed on any third-party websites or apps.))





	1. Glory to the Sin'dorei

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Black and gold banners lined the streets of Silvermoon - dancing in the flickering mage light that illuminated their prosperous, _victorious_ city. Revelry and joy had been a common theme for days, now - all culminating in this night. The night of the Grand Banquet, where all were welcome. 

Such things were no longer held in cloistered, Royal halls, no. They were open and warm and without hoops to jump through or names to know. Only one truly mattered, now. Only one had brought them here, to the city square among friends and family in the wake of the defeat of Arthas Menethil at their border. 

“Regent-Lord Lireesa Windrunner!” 

The pride on the aging face of the former General beamed from her, unmasked - for all to see - as she entered the square, resplendent in her black and gold regalia. Every eye was on her. Her children stood from the banquet table and turned to face her as excited shouts and cheers rang throughout the square. 

“Thank you!” She shouted with an amused laugh that no one heard, but everyone could see. Despite the lines beside her eyes and the silver of her hair, her smile had remained unchanged through the years. It was warm and infectious and genuine. “Thank you all, but I’m merely old, not deaf!” 

Cheering dissolved into appreciative laughter as she approached the head of the table and the revelers on the outskirts near the buildings came closer to the impossibly large table - one of only many set up meticulously so that every attendee would have a place. 

“Besides, your gratitude is misplaced, surely!” Her hands came to rest on the back of her chair as quiet finally fell over them all. “It is, after all, us that should be praising your efforts. Your sacrifices. Your bravery in the face of yet another threat against our lands and our people. So, please, if you must cheer - cheer for yourselves. Cheer for each other. Cheer for the Sin’dorei!” 

And they did. So loudly and so enthusiastically that it gave Lireesa a moment to take a sip of wine from a goblet being offered to her. Her eyes, alight with mischief and unabashedly pleased, fell on Liadrin. “A fine vintage. Thank you, Matriarch.” 

Liadrin nodded softly as she stepped back again just in time for Lireesa to begin speaking once more. 

“No small amount of my own gratitude, however, should go to my family.” 

There was no argument, there, of course. 

“Grand Magister Lirath - I thank you for your efforts with our Magi Corps and your tireless devotion to coordinating with our Rangers and our Farstriders. I know that, at times, the logistics can be quite trying.” She smiled at her son and they shared a knowing nod. Yes. It could be quite difficult working with ones sisters on a constant basis. 

“Alleria, Ranger-Lord of the Farstriders, without whom our farthest borders would wait, unaware and unassuming of any threat facing our lands. Without whom, we might never have achieved this victory!” More cheering. More shouting. Some of it rather rowdy. Yes, Alleria had many friends, here. Friends that were likely already looking forward to the after-party her daughter would no doubt be playing a huge part in. 

“Yes, yes.” Lireesa laughed as the response went on a little too long. “She’ll be here all week.” 

Alleria smiled and lifted a hand to wave away the extra attention. 

“Vereesa.” Liadrin’s attention shifted to her youngest daughter. “Who is responsible for the reformation of the Spell Breakers after the Banishment in time for them to return to the front lines when we needed them most.” 

There were none among them who didn’t applaud Vereesa’s bravery in the face of their traitorous former Prince. Especially in consideration of her youth. Lireesa allowed her a moment to bask in the praise she had earned a hundred times over. Despite the flush in her cheeks, Vereesa was still smiling from ear-to-ear. 

Finally, though, she moved on. She reached out and rested a hand against Sylvanas’s back as she spoke. “Your Ranger-General! Valor of the Forest! The woman who won us this war.” 

Sylvanas, resplendent in her dress uniform of black velvet and gold trimmings and standing, square-shouldered and firm, at her mother's side, lifted her own glass in the direction of the gathered crowd. “Glory to the Sin’dorei!” Her voice rang out in the square - full of power and conviction and strength. The undercurrent of relief and pride broke, then, into a torrential, deafening cry of the same in response.

“Now, this is meant to be a party, yes?” Lireesa asked as she placed her glass on the table. “I believe I owe my wife the first dance of the evening.” 

As a melody woven of magic began to fill the square, Liadrin offered her arm to the Regent-Lord, and Lireesa took it - walking towards the center of the square. They were unbothered by all the appreciative gazes levelled on them. This was a dance they had danced before. A show of power...and of normalcy. 

The dance was flawless. There were certain steps, now, that Lireesa had begun to find difficult. It was then that she relied on Liadrin’s strength instead of her own. One of the reasons they now took the first dance instead of the last. 

It was beautiful, nonetheless. The knowing smiles they shared. The movements honed into delicate perfection through countless years of fighting. Because it was all a dance, really, if one were to get philosophical about it. 

The way they both seemed to lead, however, was unique to them. Their forms were nearly identical. Their hand placement changed from one moment to the next. Yet, these exchanges seemed so natural. So much like they belonged. 

“You look lovely this evening.” Lireesa murmured after a perfectly executed turn that drew gasps from the crowd. 

“If I’m lovely, you are absolutely radiant,” Liadrin replied, her voice just as soft. 

At the end of their dance, Liadrin bowed alongside Lireesa, then took a single step back and bowed again, much to the Regent Lord’s amusement. 

“So formal.” Lireesa chided gently as others began to filter into the square to join each other in dance to the music that had shifted into something more lively. “Your young lover appreciated that dance. I’m sure you noticed her watching.” 

Liadrin laughed under her breath once they were finally away from the crowd and could have a moment to themselves. “I might have noticed, and I’m certain that she did.” 

“As did I.” Lireesa lifted a hand, then, to adjust one of the lapels on Liadrin’s dress jacket. “You’ve always been such a wonderful dancer.”

“Is that why you married me?” Liadrin asked, moving to sit next to her wife when she paused at a nearby bench to rest. 

“So that you could make it look like I can still move the way I once did? Absolutely.” 

“Lireesa…” 

But the older woman was chuckling, obviously more amused than anything else. Her attention waned, for a moment - settling, instead, on Sylvanas, who was entertaining a group of people with her back to them in the distance. 

“A beautiful family.” Liadrin observed as she reached out to rest her hand over the heavily adorned gauntlet covering Lireesa’s. “So many reasons to be proud.” 

“Oh?” Lireesa asked as the corner of her mouth curved slightly into an almost-smile. “I was just wondering to myself how many of them she’s trying to take home.” 

“She isn’t that bad.” Liadrin offered, smiling softly as Lireesa turned an admonishing glance in her direction.

“She’s terrible.” 

“She’s young.” Liadrin countered, though she was as amused by that observation as Lireesa was. “She’ll calm down.” 

“Oh, I know. But if Alleria is anything to go by, she may never decide to find someone.” 

“I don’t think so.” Liadrin thought that over for a moment before finally continuing. “There aren’t many similarities between them, really. Aside from the fact that they’re both beautiful like their mother.” 

“You’re too much tonight.” Lireesa said as she stood, finding Liadrin moving right along with her with a hand on her lower back. 

“Perhaps I’m trying to get you into bed.” Liadrin suggested with a sly, sideways glance. 

“Oh, I’ll be in bed quite soon. You’re staying here, however. You’re going to enjoy yourself this evening.” 

“I would enjoy myself just as much with you.” Liadrin countered as Lireesa paused with her at the edge of the square and turned to look at her. 

“Go have fun, Liadrin.” Lireesa responded - an edge of firmness in the gentle tone she was using with her. “She’s welcome in our rooms if she wishes to accompany you to them this evening. As always.”

The kiss they shared before Lireesa they parted ways was shallow, but lingering. Full of all the love and acceptance they felt for one another. Perhaps just a touch of Liadrin’s concern, which Lireesa chased away with an easy smile before she left her for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ready, little sis?”

Sylvanas let out a rather heavy sigh as she felt Alleria drape an arm around her shoulders a little too heavily. “Alleria…I’m otherwise engaged.” 

Alleria pouted and looked at the two young women Sylvanas had been chatting with for the past little while. “Do they not like parties?” She asked with an impish little grin. 

“We love them, actually.” One of the women responded - sounding so excited at the prospect that Sylvanas knew all was lost. 

“Excellent.” Alleria passed them a little folded piece of parchment to share between them. “Be there in an hour.”

Sylvanas tilted her head as they both smiled at Alleria before retreating, no doubt to change into something less meant for a banquet and more meant for whatever Alleria had planned. 

“I’ve been in the field for three months,” Sylvanas said wistfully as she peeled Alleria’s arm from around her shoulders. “I was planning on enjoying a nice, quiet evening.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t withered to dust. Since when does a threesome constitute a nice, quiet evening, by the way?” 

“I’ll never know, now, will I?” Sylvanas quipped dryly, casting a long-suffering gaze in Alleria’s direction. 

“Don’t be so obtuse, Sylvanas. It’s unbecoming of a...gentlelady of your status.” 

“Alright, enough. I suppose I’m attending this party of yours. Let’s get it over with.” Sylvanas did her best to sound agitated, but truth be told - she had missed her family. She had missed her sister and all the wildness that came with her. 

Besides, Alleria had always known how to throw a party, and Sylvanas found herself enjoying it in spite of herself. Though, halfway through when she misplaced her jacket - she found herself wishing she’d had the foresight to change. 

“Can I help you find what you’re looking for?” 

Sylvanas turned towards the less than familiar voice and smiled faintly when she was greeted with the sight of one of the women she’d been with at the banquet, earlier. “Your name, perhaps?” 

The woman lifted one of her brows and Sylvanas was entirely certain the coyness of her smile and the quiet little laugh was mostly for show. But it worked. It almost always did. Sylvanas was more than a little well-known for her silver tongue, among other things, yet no one really minded.  
“Caledra.” 

At least with Sylvanas, you knew what you were getting. An evening or two, perhaps a third if you were lucky - but it was all just a good time. 

Sylvanas was nothing if not devoted...if only to her duty to her kingdom. One couldn’t fault her for that. 

“Would you like a drink, Caledra? A dance, perhaps?” 

The jacket was all but forgotten, now. 

And they did dance. More than once, even, before the night was over. Before that, though, Lirath showed up, all but dragging Vereesa behind him. 

It was a wonderful evening. Lirath, songbird that he was, entertained them all once or twice during their dancing with a lively vocal accompaniment. 

Eventually, though, even this more raucous gathering began to settle down. It was at times like these Lirath really commanded a room. After much urging from a young man that had taken quite a liking to him over the past days, he picked up a lute-like instrument that had been offered to him more than once and took his seat in a chair near the fire that was still blazing away, though it emitted no heat. 

He glanced towards it, and then towards his audience, admittedly smaller now than it had been earlier in the evening. 

It seemed everyone who would pair off for the night had - most of them huddled up together on various cushions that had been strewn about. Even Vereesa seemed content with her place in an armchair nearby, smiling at him sleepily. This was a rare treat. For all of them. For some of them - it was the first time. 

“Your family is dangerously beautiful.” Caledra murmured as she leaned into Sylvanas’s arms. 

“He is a pretty boy, yes. But...watch.” Sylvanas reached to turn the other woman’s head so that her attention would shift where nearly everyone else’s had. 

None of them missed the moment Lirath’s song became more than just a song. When words sung of star-crossed lovers became images - flickering through the room like ghosts. As beautiful and ethereal as his voice was gentle and true. 

The forests of their home and its golden leaves were woven into the notes Lirath sang - pulsing with color and fading away along with the verses. The spell it wove over them was more powerful than the illusion itself. 

There were no few in attendance who weren’t looking around in dazed wonderment when both the illusions and the notes finally faded into silence. Sylvanas only smiled at her brother - catching his eye from her corner of the room and nodding her thanks in his direction. 

He had the nerve to wink at her in return. 

“Oh.” Caledra exclaimed quietly after a long stretch of silence. 

“More than just a pretty face, you see…” Sylvanas said idly as the other woman finally looked up at her. 

“And are you?” She asked in reply. 

“Mm, that’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself, I suppose.” 

They were inclined to wait on that front, however, when Lirath began another song. They all were. Even Alleria and her chosen guest for the evening were content to listen quietly where they were tangled together on a well-loved sofa nearby. 

This evening was well deserved. A reprieve from who they were. They had the luxury of not being treated as though they were royalty, because they weren’t. On nights like these - it felt even more like a luxury than usual.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lady Jaina?” Pained’s voice was unusually quiet after she knocked softly at the woman’s door.

“Come in, Pained.” Jaina replied - fatigue more than a little evident in her voice. She’d been pouring over various reports all day, to no avail. She simply didn’t have the resources to gather all the information she’d been after. Not yet, anyway - though Theramore seemed to grow more stable by the day, now. Every day wasn’t a battle any longer. There was food. Clothing. They had done little more than survive for so long that certain things felt almost foreign, now. Now that they were finally settled. Safe. 

Things such as their little Inn that had only recently begun to thrive. They even had a clothier. A clothier who did wonders with the fabrics that came in through their still-limited trade arrangements. 

“I have news from that agent you managed to secure near Lordaeron.” Pained offered, though Jaina was too busy looking at the plate of food she was now placing on the desk before her to have heard her clearly. Had she missed dinner? Again?

“You haven’t eaten since last night.” Pained said quietly as she reached for the parchment in Jaina’s hand and removed it gently. 

“Oh.” 

Yes. She’d definitely missed dinner. 

“Wait, did...did you say you have news from Lordaeron?” 

“Yes, I did.” 

Jaina felt her rising hope fall in response to the pensiveness of Pained’s tone. She waited as patiently as she could for the woman to continue - though her patience had been in terribly short supply of late. “Pained? Please?”

“Right. Right. My apologies. It’s just news that I wasn’t expecting.” 

Jaina nodded her understanding. 

“It’s Arthas. He...barely made it past the Quel’Thalas border before they overwhelmed him. He took one, maybe two villages. He’s retreated, it seems. To Northrend.”

“They turned him back?” Jaina asked with furrowed brows and disbelief dripping from her voice. “So quickly?” 

“Yes. Yes, they did.” 

“But he lives?” 

Pained nodded. This had been the part that gave her pause. She knew more than most what Arthas’s betrayal had done to Jaina. She had watched it affect nearly every aspect of the young mage’s life.

“Do they plan to pursue him? Do you know?” The dinner was, by now, entirely forgotten where it sat. 

“That, I couldn’t tell you. They aren’t exactly the most forthcoming of people. Nor are they inclined to become involved with something that doesn’t already involve them.” 

“But it does involve them. You’ve already said it - he took two of their villages before his retreat.” Jaina sounded so earnest. Almost desperate. 

Yet Pained had no answers for her. 

“I’ll just have to find out for myself, then.” Jaina finally said - and Pained could tell by the expression she wore that there was little to no chance of talking her out of it. At least not tonight. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. 

“Surely you don’t expect to just waltz into Quel’Thalas and ask them about the maneuverings of their military. That would be suicide.” 

“No, Pained. Don’t be ridiculous.” Jaina responded as she lifted the hunk of bread from her plate to examine it. “Their silk is the stuff of legends. As is their gold. I’m sure they wouldn’t kill me over a written request to consider trade negotiations.” 

“You can’t be serious, Jaina...” 

It hadn’t been a question, so Jaina didn’t answer. 

“You are.” 

Jaina lifted a brow in her direction and took a bite from the bread she was holding. 

“Will you sleep on it, at least?”

“Of course.” Jaina responded simply.

“I’ll never find a reliable courier at this hour, anyway.”


	2. A Potential Friend

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Lireesa sighed quietly as she was greeted by yet another passive expression from her daughter. They’d been at this for nearly an hour, and Sylvanas hadn’t budged.

“You’re not canceling your trip because of some...human.” Sylvanas said as she reached for the parchment on her mother’s side of the desk and glanced down at it. “And trade arrangements that we’re more than likely going to decline anyway.” She finished before placing the parchment back down. 

“You’ve never negotiated anything that didn’t have to do with war, Sylvanas. This is different. This could be advantageous for us.” Lireesa countered, her voice both calm and tired all at once. 

“That’s rather dark, mother. And we’re no longer at war, technically. What good am I if I can’t handle this, as well?” 

Lireesa sighed yet again and lifted her fingertips to her temples. 

“Not to intrude, but she does make a strong point.” 

Lireesa turned a withering gaze in Liadrin’s direction as she watched her place a pair of neatly folded pants into a bag on the bed they shared. 

“Thank you, Liadrin.” Sylvanas said smugly - ignoring the pursed lips and furrowed brow that earned her from the paladin.

“Fine.” Lireesa finally said. “You win. Both of you. We’ll go on the trip, and Sylvanas will stay here and start a war with a fledgling nation. Perfect. An excellent plan.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re absolutely certain that this is the best course of action?” Pained made sure she kept her voice low as they waited for their portal to be opened.

“It’s a little late now, Pained. You’ve made your concerns quite clear, however, so don’t worry about that. It’s just a negotiation. We aren’t in any danger. It’s likely a safe bet that Quel’Thalas is one of the safest places on Azeroth right now, I would think that would calm your nerves at least somewhat.” 

“Perhaps the reasons _why_ it’s the safest place on Azeroth are what have them frayed to begin with.” Pained replied beneath her breath, causing Jaina to glance in her direction in confusion. 

“And what might those be?”

“You know my feelings on the matter.” Pained responded. 

“Ah. On magic, you mean. Yes, I’m quite well aware of how you feel about magic. However, as I’m sure _you_ are aware, we don’t share the same opinion in that area. If you’re telling me that magic is what has kept that place safe for so long, then I’m quite keen to know more - not run full-tilt in the opposite direction.”

“You know so much, as it is, Jaina. Especially for your age. I wouldn’t go nosing around into the way they do things.” 

“I feel like you forget, sometimes, that not everyone ages the same way.” Jaina observed idly with a slight smirk and a cut of her eyes that caused Pained to snort quietly. 

“No, I’m quite well aware of human fragility. Perhaps that’s why I’m concerned.” 

Just when Jaina was about to respond, she felt the tell-tale beginnings of a portal manifesting. It was a similar feeling to what she was familiar with. Yet, she could sense the power behind the spell. The portal was, after all, being opened somewhere the mage working the spell couldn’t possibly be attuned to. 

As the hairs on her arms began to stand up, it crackled into view - and Jaina’s breath caught in her throat. Even through the distortion, she could see part of the city square that awaited them. It was a far cry from the tents and muddy streets she was used to. 

Pained drew in a slow, steadying breath and nodded. “All right. Let’s go, then.” 

The first sight that greeted them as they stepped through was a small delegation - not so large as to be overwhelming, not so small as to make them feel unimportant. It had been well thought out. 

Jaina’s eyes finally settled on the mage that was lowering the portal, and the young man smiled at her warmly. “Lady Proudmoore.” He said as he bowed his head slightly in greeting. 

Jaina looked for any sign of rank. Any sign of status. His clothing was beautiful, to say the least. But the others that had been awaiting their arrival weren’t exactly underdressed. Jaina had seen plenty of elves. She wasn’t taken aback by his looks or the picture-perfect, winning smile. It was the green of his eyes that gave her pause. 

She recovered quickly enough, however, and returned his smile. He was an apprentice, perhaps. An advanced one, granted - but Jaina couldn’t imagine they’d have had someone of any significant importance portal in two guests who, incidentally, weren’t of any great political concern.

“Hello. Thank you for your portal-work. That was quite an advanced spell. Very impressive. I’m...afraid I don’t know what to call you, however.” 

“Lirath will be just fine.” His Common was good. Very good. 

He turned his attention to Pained, then, and Jaina was surprised that he kept the smile on his face with very little effort despite how stoic she looked. “This is your escort?” He asked curiously. 

“Pained.” Jaina offered. “This is Pained.” 

“Ishnu-alah, Kaldorei. The friend of a potential friend is a potential friend, herself. I hope you find your stay here pleasant. You are welcome, here. I’m afraid Darnassian isn’t my strongest language.”

“Fortunate that I am fluent in Common, then.” Pained responded with a dryness that made Jaina cut her eyes at her. 

“Ah, I’m certain the accommodations will be just fine. I appreciate your hospitality, Mage.” 

He seemed unbothered by her lack of tact. Instead of addressing it, or taking offense, he looked back to Jaina. “You will be shown to your rooms, now. You’ll be staying in Sunfury Spire, of course. In the Court.” Jaina watched as their bags were lifted not by those that were to accompany them, but by magic. 

“Oh, we can get those!” She offered quickly, though Lirath just lifted a hand in dismissal. 

“No need.” He responded. “Once you’re settled and rested, someone will come for you. The Ranger-General will want to meet with you today, I’m sure. It was a pleasure to meet you both. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” 

Jaina offered him one last smile before they were being led away. As Pained kept her attention forward and her ears carefully attuned to sounds that should be and sounds that should not - Jaina stared around herself in wonderment. She had seen drawings of this place, of course. In various rare texts that she’d come across over the course of her studies. 

The drawings had done nothing to prepare her. The architecture was unlike anything she’d ever encountered. The warmth was...perfect. Not too hot. Not like the oppressive, suffocating heat of summer. But it was enough to make one forget the biting cold that should have already been encroaching upon this region at this time of year. 

The sounds, too, were gentle and wonderful much like the sloping lines of the spires that surrounded them. The gentle babbling from the fountain in the center of the courtyard they were being led through mingled with the noise of enchanted brooms sweeping of their own accord across stone-lined streets. 

It took the edge off all the eyes that were on them as they walked. Lirath had been more than pleasant. More than welcoming. Jaina wasn’t much bothered by the looks, however. She hadn’t exactly expected much better. Pained had prepared her for that, and that piece of advice, at least, Jaina had taken to heart. 

That didn’t change the fact that she was glad when they were finally in the adjoining rooms they were meant to be in for the duration of their stay. 

“Magic to carry bags...I’m perfectly capable of…”

Jaina sighed quietly in response to Pained’s muttering. “You’re going to have to try a little harder to not cause an incident, Pained. Please. For my sake.” 

Pained sighed quietly. “I’ll try. I don’t mean to make things difficult for you. You are my concern. Not them.” 

“I’ve always trusted you.” Jaina continued, her tone softening considerably. “You know that.” Jaina reached out and rested a hand along the other woman’s arm before she could turn with her bag. “But this is something that I need to do.” 

“I’m with you.” Pained replied. “I’m right here, aren’t I?” 

“None of this would have happened if it weren’t for him. He has to pay. I won’t rest until he does.” Jaina continued, slowly lowering her hand as she pushed the faint tinge of bitterness from her voice. A bitterness that always lurked just beneath the surface, now. 

“I may not agree with...a lot of aspects of this place and its people, Jaina, but if you manage to pull this off - I have no doubt in my mind that you will see it done. They are formidable, to say the least. They just also happen to be insufferable.” 

“The boy from earlier seemed nice.” Jaina offered optimistically. She even attempted a bit of a smile. 

Pain actually laughed. A quiet laugh that faded quickly, but a laugh nonetheless. “I’ll give you that.”

It wasn’t long after Pained had put her bags in her room and walked back through the door that led to Jaina’s that there was a soft knock. Jaina had scarcely had time to check her robes in the floor-length mirror - another luxury she wasn’t used to - before the door was opening. 

“The Ranger-General would see the two of you, now.” 

This voice wasn’t as friendly as Lirath’s had been. This voice belonged to some sort of royal guard, Jaina was sure. The armor was too polished. Too striking - to belong to any lesser member of their military. It certainly didn’t belong to a servant. No, the black and gold caught the light of the corridor just so. The woman held herself with too much pomp and circumstance. 

No more formalities now, then, Jaina guessed. It was down to business. As much as she’d seen over the past few years, she couldn’t seem to quell the nervousness that was now sending tingles towards the base of her skull. 

Pained, at least, was in top form. Her gaze was even and passive and her shoulders were squared in a way that made her look only mildly intimidating. Jaina was only glad they didn’t ask her to hand her weapons over when they were finally escorted into a rather grand room that was only inhabited, currently, by one person. 

Yet the room didn’t seem particularly empty. Not when that one person turned around to look at them. Jaina wasn’t used to seeing Generals in uniforms like this. She was much more accustomed to seeing them in armor than in tailored jackets and polished boots. She also wasn’t used to Generals being this...well, disarming. 

“Lady Proudmoore, I presume.” Green eyes flashed to the guard that was still behind them, who cleared her throat and nodded. 

“And her escort, Pained.” The guard responded before stepping to the side so a tray of wine and water could be carried through the door and placed in the center of the table. 

“Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner.” The guard addressed them, then, and gestured towards the chairs across the table from where Sylvanas was standing. “Have a seat. Please.” 

“Yes, of course.” Jaina replied with a gracious smile that was largely ignored before she took the seat that had been offered her. 

Sylvanas followed suit gracefully on the other side of the table - reaching for an empty glass to be filled by the young woman tending to their refreshments. “How do you like it so far, Lady Proudmoore? Are your rooms to your liking?”

“Oh, yes.” Jaina replied as she opted for water instead of wine. While it might have calmed her nerves somewhat, she guessed it likely wasn’t regular wine, and mana wine always went straight to her head. “Everything I’ve seen thus far has been impressive to say the least.” 

Sylvanas smiled, but that smile held none of the warmth that Lirath’s had earlier. “Wonderful. This is just a preliminary meeting, of sorts. Hence the absence of any council. I hope you understand if I seem as though I’m being a touch too straight forward. It’s best we ascertain whether we’re wasting each other's time as early as possible, wouldn’t you agree?” 

Pained felt her jaw tightened as she glanced in Jaina’s direction and then levelled her gaze back on Sylvanas. 

“Yes, of course.” Jaina responded. “Whatever questions you have, I would be happy to answer.”

“Excellent. I have a few. The one that’s been in the forefront of my thoughts over the past few days is this. What - if anything - do you have to offer us? If the information I’ve been presented with is accurate, you’ve only just recently becoming a functioning city-state.”

“If I’m being entirely honest, Ranger-General, we don’t have too terribly much to offer. Yet. However, as the only truly neutral city in Kalimdor - I can offer you a gateway. A gateway that could prove invaluable in years to come.”

“I respect your conviction. Truly. But you’ll have to excuse me for not having much faith in offers of Human alliances.” 

Jaina met and held Sylvanas’s challenging gaze despite how much those words stung. Especially after everything she’d been through to get to where she was. To built what she had built. “Trade routes.” Jaina corrected. “Not an alliance. Theramore is a peaceful nation that is largely unaligned and its citizens want little more than to move forward.” 

“Trade routes.” Sylvanas repeated as she glanced down at the map that had already been laid out along the table before her. “We aren’t a sailing people, I’m afraid. We would have little use of a port city.”

“Others would.” Jaina countered. “Others already do. We would work through portals, without the risk and uncertainty of ship routes.”

Jaina could have sworn she saw a slight glint in Sylvanas’s eye. Perhaps the faintest flash of amusement. Or was she impressed? She couldn’t tell. 

“You’re quick.” Sylvanas finally complimented as she leaned back in her chair and took a sip from her glass. 

Jaina was flustered. But she hid it well. She refused to take the bait of that comment. Not when she couldn’t gauge whether or not it had been condescending. 

Sylvanas cleared her throat after a moment and placed her glass aside as she leaned forward again. “Very well. You have my interest. Take the evening to get settled and look over your proposals. Dinner will be brought to your rooms, of course. I assume you’re in need of rest. We can begin tomorrow.” 

Jaina was left wondering how she’d managed this even as the same guard from before entered to fetch them and Sylvanas stood to walk around the table in her direction. Jaina only thought to stand up when the woman was a few steps away. There were details she hadn’t noticed - now that she was closer. Like the sharp angle of her jaw and the relative youthfulness of her face along with her surprisingly small stature. Jaina supposed it might be difficult to not be full of oneself with looks like that - looks as impressive as the mantle she carried. 

Then, there was a smile. Strangely similar to the one the mage from earlier had graced her with. A real smile. One that managed to calm the agitation and frustration their conversation had left Jaina struggling against. 

“I’m defensive of my home. Of my people. I have my reasons. You understand, I’m sure.” 

Jaina glanced down in time to see a hand being offered to her. Her forearm. Grip her forearm. Pained had taught her that much, and Jaina was glad for it - as she reached out and did so and caught the surprise on the General’s face before it was gone just as quickly as it had come. 

“Of course.” Jaina replied as she released her grip. “It’s your job, after all, Ranger-General. But I mean you and your people no harm.”

There was something about the softness and sincerity of Jaina’s voice that caused Sylvanas to regard her for a moment longer than might have been appropriate. “I don’t doubt that at all. We’ll revisit this tomorrow. In the meantime, if you need anything at all, all the guards assigned to the wing you’re staying in speak Common - as do all the staff.”

“I have a loose understanding of Thalassian.” Jaina responded. “And I have Pained, of course. The languages are similar enough for us to get by, there’s no need to go out of your way to accomodate me.” 

“Of course. Tomorrow, then?” Sylvanas offered another smile - this time, at both of them. It was a touch more forced than the last had been, but it wasn’t anything Jaina couldn’t handle. It just put her slightly more on edge. Slightly further out of her comfort zone than she already was. 

Jaina simply nodded before she turned to allow the guard to walk them back to their rooms. She barely managed to contain herself long enough to listen for the footsteps to retreat from the door she’d shut to her room, where Pained was awaiting the outburst she was certain would be coming. 

“What a pompous ass!” Jaina ground out through gritted teeth as she paced the room in front of where Pained had moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “Do I look stupid? Do I? Do I look like some lost little girl?”

“No, Jaina.”

“I must - to be treated like a child that way. Here I thought I looked, at the very least, like someone who might actually _know_ something.” 

“You do, Jaina.” 

“Insufferable. And she’s so disgustingly pretty! She’s probably used to getting away with it. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. And don’t you dare say you told me so. I’m in no mood to hear it right now.” 

“Actually…”

Jaina paused and exhaled sharply through her nose as Pained lifted a brow at her before continuing. 

“She likely doesn’t know anything about you. Elves, even young ones like her - are quite guilty of dismissing younger races. I doubt it has anything to do with you, personally. However, if you would like for me to defend your honor, I would be happy to challenge her to a duel. I’m just not certain how that would end up working out for us.” 

Jaina deflated immediately and plopped down into the armchair near the bed, resting her chin in her hand as she glanced towards the fine marble hearth across the room. “No duels, Pained. You’re right, of course. I had just thought we would be dealing with the Regent Lord.” 

“I would have assumed the same. Perhaps if you had approached with your intended goal instead of trade offers, that might have been the case. But then - they might not have entertained us at all.” 

Pained was right. Again. Jaina didn’t need to speak to tell her that much. The admonishing glare cast in her direction was more than enough to tell her how Jaina felt right then. 

“At least she’s agreed to continue negotiations.” Pained offered after a pause that stretched an uncomfortable length of time. 

“I have never been more excited in all my life.” Jaina responded dryly before she sighed and headed for the bags on the other side of the rooms that contained the documents she would no doubt spend the duration of the evening poring over. 

If Jaina hadn’t looked so exhausted right then, Pained might have laughed. As it was, she just joined her and did her best to keep discarded parchments and scrolls in order. 

It was going to be a long week.


	3. An Invitation

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

_“Lireesa, I strongly suggest you think this over. You are a warrior. A General. You have no place leading our people. Your bloodline holds no claim over this throne. You will die an usurper and a traitor.” Kael’thas’ voice oozed confidence as he stared Lireesa down, yet she didn’t waver. The guards that lined the council chamber didn’t, either. In fact, it was only due to Kael’thas’ still-formidable skill with magic that he’d gotten this far, at all. _

_“A traitor?” Lireesa’s voice was cool and smooth and low as she stood slowly from the seat she’d been in. “How rich coming from you, Prince. You sold our souls to the demons themselves on behalf of us. And now you’ve come to finish the job? There is only one traitor in this room, Kael’thas, and I’m looking at him. And how dare he show his face, here. You bled poison into our very veins. Into the hearts of our children.”_

_Lireesa spat out that last word bitterly and let her fangs glint in the mage light of the chamber as a portal crackled into existence nearby. Lirath. Lirath, who let his fel-green eyes settle on Kael’thas’ own as he stepped through his own creation to stand - not between them - but at his mother’s side. He looked unbothered, if not protective. Kael’thas wasn’t the most powerful mage in this room, after all. Not anymore. _

_“I felt you before you even arrived, you know.” Lirath’s voice was light and airy. It held no hint of the power he commanded. Perhaps just a tinge of anger. “You’ve grown sloppy. I’d have thought you’d have at least attempted to mask your presence here.” _

_Kael’thas snarled in response as fel energy began roiling around his fingertips. “Cocky, impudent whelp. I promised you power beyond imagining. A place at my side. Instead, you returned to wither into anonymity. Allow me to end your suffering. Allow me to rid this kingdom of those that wouldn’t see it prosper. But first, you will all bow to your **king**.” _

_Lirath lifted one of his hands and, before Kael’thas could even think to react, the fel flame he had begun to summon leaped from him and to Lirath, where it was dampened and expunged with an infuriatingly casual motion. _

_“Hold him still, child. And keep him quiet.” Lireesa said quietly. “We need no more of his kind of magic, here.” _

_Lirath’s own power coupled with the defenses woven throughout the room made this an easier task than Kael’thas had accounted for. _

_“Kael’thas Sunstrider, you should never have returned. You have disgraced your name. Your Kingdom. In the absence of its monarchy, Quel’Thalas is ruled by its regency. As Lord Regent, it falls to me to protect the people you’ve nearly destroyed with your greed. The terms of your expulsion were made clear to you. Death was your alternative.”_

_Kael’thas was visibly straining against the bonds holding him in place - suppressing his magic. Suffocating him. “I...am...your…**King**.” _

_Lireesa’s eyes fell for just a moment as she reached for her sword belt and unsheathed the blade that hung at her hip. _

_The blade that was still buried between his ribs when next she spoke. _

_“There will be no more Kings of Silvermoon.”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liadrin had been watching Lireesa quietly from the edge of the room for a while, now. She’d been watching the way her wife looked over the red and gold uniform she was stoking their fire with, piece by piece until it was turning to ash within the flames.

She approached Lireesa slowly in the flickering light that illuminated the room and danced over the silver of her hair until she was kneeling behind her - trailing a hand along her back until she finally seemed present, again. 

“Your bath is still hot.” Liadrin murmured as Lireesa’s eyes slipped shut for a moment. She didn’t make a move to get up, however. She merely leaned back into Liadrin’s arms - arms that had always - _would_ always accept her. 

“Will you join me in it?” 

Liadrin followed that question with a soft kiss against Lireesa’s neck just beneath her ear and let her lips linger there as she spoke. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.” 

“Just a while longer.” 

Liadrin shifted to get more comfortable - allowing her legs to splay out along the floor on either side of Lireesa’s. “What’s on your mind, Lireesa?” 

“Many things.” The older woman murmured as she tilted her head to the side in response to Liadrin’s continued attention to her neck in the form of gentle brushes of her lips. 

“Lighten your burden,” Liadrin whispered as she found Lireesa’s hand in her lap and traced the lines of the tops of her fingers with the tips of her own. “I’m more than able to carry it.” 

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” Lireesa finally said as she slowly turned to sit sideways in Liadrin’s lap. 

Liadrin lifted a leg behind her back as she found Lireesa’s eyes with her own and reached out to stroke through her hair. It wasn’t often that it was down like this. Sometimes Liadrin found herself wondering how many people had actually seen Lireesa this way. “Things rarely turn out how we want them to. I was a priestess when we met if you’ll recall.” 

“It feels like such a long time ago, doesn’t it?” Lireesa asked with a faint smile. “And now you’ve far surpassed me with a blade.” 

“I’ve done no such thing,” Liadrin argued half-heartedly - her admonishing expression drawing a quiet, tired laugh from the other woman. 

“You promised me a bath. I think it’s time we start enjoying our vacation.” 

It hadn’t been that long, really. Yet it very much felt that way, as Liadrin helped Lireesa up from the floor and watched carefully for the almost imperceptible wince that came along with the action. A wince that Liadrin chased away with the lingering softness of a kiss before they made their way towards the waiting, still blessedly hot bath. 

Liadrin left her own robe on for a moment as she reached for the sash on Lireesa’s. A moment later, she was folding it and placing it on a bench next to the large, steaming tub illuminated mostly by candlelight. A soft, warm break from the mage lights of Silvermoon. 

“You’re spoiling me.” Lireesa murmured as she took in the sight of Liadrin’s body as it was bared to her when the other woman slid out of her own robe and turned to face her. “I could get used to this.” 

“You deserve it.” Liadrin walked back over to her, then, and returned the gaze that had only just lifted from her own body to her face. Lireesa still looked every bit the General, even now. Battle-hardened and scarred as any member of the Blood Knights was and more. She had always been slender to the point of being almost wiry. All muscle and sinew. Liadrin reached out to run her fingertips over one of the last wounds she’d earned herself in combat. A dark, angry channel of scar tissue that ran across her shoulder towards her chest. A wound that hadn’t healed quite like it might have once. “And you’ll never get used to it. I’m lucky you’re allowing me to do this much for you.” 

Lireesa had been about to protest when warmth spread from Liadrin’s fingertips down through her skin and into aching joints and muscle. Another hand joined the first - this one resting against the small of her back as she began to relax. Truly relax. It felt to Lireesa, more often than not, like she was fighting through quicksand. Fighting against enemies...and inevitabilities. 

Like time. Even if things hadn’t changed, she would likely still have been dragged from the heat of battle by it. Foundered and weakened by its passing. Liadrin stood there, now - a bulwark against its erosion. Breathing life into her and easing the aches that had come alongside hard-earned victories. 

The warmth of the Light Liadrin commanded was still meandering through her veins as she cradled the Matriarch’s face in her hands and enjoyed feeling, for all intents and purposes, young again. 

“How’s that?” Liadrin asked as she covered Lireesa’s hands with her own and ran her thumbs along her wrists. 

“Wonderful,” Lireesa whispered in response before she brushed a kiss to the corner of the younger woman’s mouth. “You should teach that girl of yours that trick so she can do the same for you when I’m gone.” 

Liadrin chuckled quietly and, in a swift, unexpected movement lifted Lireesa against herself and guided her legs around her. “You’re going to live forever, remember?” She corrected gently as she stepped over the edge of the tub and lowered them into the water - enjoying the initial sting of its heat. 

“Gods, I hope not. I can scarcely keep up with you as it is.” She found it easier now, though, to settle herself over Liadrin’s lap and loop her arms lazily around the back of her neck. 

“Mm, you needn’t try. Let me do all the work.” 

If Lireesa had been about to protest, it fell silent on her lips as she felt Liadrin’s fingertips against her inner thighs. 

To say Lireesa had had her fair share of lovers would be, perhaps, underselling it a bit. But there was something so different about Liadrin. About the way she held her when she first pressed long, deft fingers into her. About the way she murmured her appreciation into Lireesa’s hair and leaned back to look up at her with nothing short of reverence. 

“Why do you look at me that way?” Lireesa asked breathlessly as she gripped the edge of the tub and tangled her free hand in Liadrin’s hair, gripping it tightly for a moment in a way that drew a faint smirk from her. 

“How could I not look at you?” Liadrin asked, though she slowed the pace of her hand between Lireesa’s thighs into something more sensual. Something both of them could savor. “How could anyone not look at you, hm?” 

“Flattery won’t make me come faster.” Lireesa teased through quickened, shallow breaths. 

“That’s the last thing I want.” Liadrin husked as she reached for the back of Lireesa’s neck and pulled her close enough to kiss. “I want you to take your time. We have all week.” 

Lireesa might have had a witty comeback for that, had Liadrin not shifted her just so. Just enough that the heel of her palm was providing just the right pressure - just where she needed it, as her fingers continued their slow, rhythmic motions inside her.

For a moment, they were quiet. The only sounds were the muffled breaths Liadrin was taking against Lireesa’s mouth every chance she got and the water splashing softly against their skin and the edges of the tub. 

Eventually, though, a series of throaty, raspy moans fell from Lireesa’s lips and she was going still in Liadrin’s lap with her thighs tensed against her sides - keeping her where she was. 

By the time they finally made it into the crisp, clean sheets of the bed that had no doubt been washed just before their arrival, they were more than ready for sleep. Sleep didn’t come right away, though - and that was fine. Liadrin didn’t mind running her fingers through the drying silk that was Lireesa’s hair. Nor did she mind the little lines beside her eyes that showed themselves more readily as she smiled at her. Eyes that had once been as silver as her hair was, now. 

Even now, the green in them wasn’t quite so prevalent as it was in many sets of once-blue, elven eyes. Lireesa had never relied much on magic. She trusted in things that were more tangible.

“I think I might go hunting in the morning.” Lireesa’s vocie was muddled with almost-sleep and Liadrin moved closer to her, settling into the familiar comfort of Lireesa draping one of her legs over her back. 

“I noticed you brought your bow.” 

“I haven’t hunted in years. It would be nice to know that I haven’t rusted over, entirely.” 

Liadrin snorted dismissively. “You might wake up a little stiff most mornings, but even I wouldn’t cross you with a bow in your hands and all the Light in the world at my command.”

“Some nights I’m not sure if I married you for your hands or your tongue.” 

“That statement can be taken in so many ways. Besides, I thought it was my intelligence and natural charm.” Liadrin offered with a glint of mischief in her eyes. 

“Ah, yes. How could I forget?” Lireesa pulled the blankets closer to them and finally allowed her eyes to shut. “How do you think my daughter is faring?” 

“Oh, if I had to guess - I’d say she’s either bedded the girl or we’re going to go home to another war. Perhaps both.” 

“O ye, of little faith…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina could tell that someone was in the gardens with her. She’d come to learn that all elves here had a certain air of magic about them. Though this wasn’t a mage, no. That was a difference she’d only just begun to get used to over the past few days.

She wondered if the Rangers knew how their subtle manipulations of the energy around them felt. She wondered if they used it out in the forests. In battle, even - without even knowing. 

She also wondered if whoever was watching her was just curious, or if they had ulterior motives. Curiosity - she could forgive. She was in their home, after all - and some of them had had so little contact with her kind that this was still a novelty for them. 

“Lady Proudmoore.” 

Oh. Now that was a voice she had _not_ expected. Nor had she expected to see Sylvanas - a bit too suddenly to be natural - walking on the other side of a row of hedges. 

“Ranger-General.” Jaina greeted, congratulating herself internally for keeping any sign that she was impressed out of her voice. “You weren’t there just a moment ago.” 

“You must not have seen me.” Sylvanas offered with a faint smile as they passed another gap in the greenery and she cast a side-long glance in the mage’s direction. A few more steps and she had joined Jaina on the path. 

“A useful trick. You should show sometime.” Despite there not-exactly-friendly banter, Jaina found her eyes drawn to the way the General was dressed. To the perfect cut of her boots and her breeches and the way the silk material of her shirt flowed in the gentle, warm breeze against her toned, broad shoulders. 

“I’m sure you have a great many tricks up your own sleeve, Lady Proudmoore. None of which you would know without my people. I only want that to be clear before we continue on with our negotiations. It’s you that needs us. Not the other way around. But why?” 

They both came to a stop at that precise moment, and Jaina turned to face Sylvanas - who only turned her head, at first, before following suit. 

Jaina allowed her eyes to trail over the golden embroidery along the split collar of Sylvanas’s shirt. “I’ve mentioned your textiles.” Jaina continued when she finally lifted her eyes to meet the other woman’s. “And here you are parading them around in front of me. You can’t blame a girl for wanting a little silk in her life, can you?” 

If Jaina didn’t find Sylvanas so consistently infuriating, she might have laughed at the unfamiliar perk of her ears. As it was, she just tilted her head as she waited for her answer. 

“I suppose not. Especially not one who is...unused to not having soft things.”

Jaina’s mouth pursed into a flat line but somehow stopped eyes from rolling. “You underestimate me. That’s dangerous in this line of work, you know.” 

“That sounded like a threat.” Sylvanas replied easily, though they had already started walking again - falling easily into step next to one another. Sylvanas may have been shorter, but her strides were long and effortless in a way that Jaina’s weren’t. It kind of just...worked. And that irritated the hell out of Jaina, too. 

“It wasn’t one. You haven’t exactly given me any sign that you take me seriously, so...I was merely working on that assumption.”

“I take you very seriously, actually. I have no choice. That’s why I came looking for you. My mother is returning tomorrow and I wanted to extend a dinner invitation before your departure. I’m certain she’d like to meet you before you leave.” 

“A dinner invitation?” Jaina asked curiously as she looked over at Sylvanas who, surprisingly, was looking right back at her. 

“With my family, of course. That would have normally happened already, but...well, my mother wasn’t here. Now, she will be. It would be improper to send you off without having shown you the extent of our hospitality.” 

“You sound like you’re reading from a script.” 

“That’s offensive.” 

“You sound like you’re trying very hard, is what I mean.” Jaina continued as she slowed, once again, to a stop. “Of course I’ll join your family for dinner.” 

Jaina could tell Sylvanas hadn’t been expecting that pseudo-compliment. And the half-cocked way her ears had moved was...no. No, absolutely not. 

“Tomorrow night, then?” Sylvanas asked, disregarding their previous exchange, entirely. 

“Tomorrow night. I’ll be looking forward to it.” 

“Mm.” Sylvanas hadn’t meant for a grunt to be her only response...but it was rather too late for that, now. Just like it was too late to stop herself from returning Jaina’s last parting smile. 

Damn.


	4. Meeting The Family

  
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)  


Jaina had been given free rein of most of the more public areas of the wing she was staying in. One of those areas just happened to be a library. A library she’d been itching to explore since her arrival, although she’d lacked the time to actually do so. 

Now, though, in the hours before a dinner that she was desperately trying to push to the back of her mind - there was time. Precious little...but enough. Silvermoon was nothing if not impressive - run by magic that cast a glow of power and beauty over everything. Yet it wasn’t for show. It wasn’t some grand display. This was just how they lived. They had no outsiders to impress. This was just...every day for them. 

Perhaps Jaina hadn’t fully understood just what that meant until she walked past the sheer curtains that hung across the outer archway that led into the royal library. However, when her eyes fell upon more rows of grand, gold-emblazoned shelves than she could ever have hoped to count, she understood. She understood with a parting of her lips that allowed a shocked gasp to pass between them. She even had to scold herself mentally when she realized she’d lifted one of her hands to her chest. 

It had been...so, so long. So long since she’d smelled this smell - slightly different, of course. But underneath the scent of rich tapestries and unfamiliar incense, there was the smell of books. Of ancient bindings and pages and the enchantments that held them together like they had just been bound yesterday. 

It was utterly overwhelming, and she found herself not picking up a single volume as she chose a row to walk down. She continued this pattern for far too long before she nearly bumped into someone rounding a corner. 

Quick, fumbled apologies tumbled from her until she recognized the handsome, friendly face of the young Mage that had first welcomed her upon her arrival. 

“Lady Proudmoore!” He greeted with a broad, friendly grin that was so full of warmth Jaina knew it was genuine. 

“Lirath, it’s...it’s wonderful to see you.” Jaina felt herself relaxing into his easy presence immediately as he shelved a book he’d been holding. 

“And you. I’m glad you’ve finally made it to the library. I had a feeling you would find it agreeable. As agreeable as the rest of your stay, I hope?” 

Jaina’s smile was as forced as her nod. And Lirath knew it. She could tell by the faint downward curve of his lips as his own expression fell and his ears wilted slightly. “In need of a friendly ear?” He asked - doing little to hide the concern in his voice. 

“I’d rather not start a political incident.” Jaina deflected with a quiet, nervous laugh. 

“Oh, no need to worry about that. I’m just a friend. If you’re in need of one, that is.” 

Jaina’s brow furrowed as she looked at him - measuring both him and the situation before she finally sighed quietly and shook her head. “It’s...complicated.”

“She can be.” 

Jaina’s face paled as her eyes snapped up to meet his. “Pardon?”

She could have sworn Lirath was stopping himself from laughing at her sudden discomfort. “Sylvanas, I mean. I just assumed…”

Relief flooded her immediately. So he’d had his fair share of run-ins with her, too, perhaps. Thank god. Maybe he could help...or at least point her in the right direction. 

“She’s just so...so…” Her jaw clenched and she shook her head as her eyes rolled up to the ceiling. “Infuriating.” 

Lirath did laugh, then. A quiet, pleasant sound that - once again - took the edge off the agitation Jaina was feeling. “Oh, absolutely. And I’m sure you aren’t giving her an inch. Which is absolutely confounding for her...but also the best way to handle the situation, for what my opinion is worth.” 

“Do you think so?” Jaina asked with a faint quirk of one of her brows. 

“I know so. Don’t change a thing. She has a habit of walking all over you if you do.” 

“I can see that. She’s tried it more than once.” 

Lirath hummed thoughtfully to himself as he turned his attention back to the shelf he’d just been looking at. “She’s a brilliant tactician. Our military is in excellent hands. The rest, I’m afraid, she still needs training wheels for.”

“And I’m her first ride without them.” Jaina observed quietly as she felt disappointment flood her. 

“Very astute.” Lirath complimented as he pulled another book free from its home. “But don’t despair. If my people didn’t take your offer seriously, you wouldn’t be here at all.” 

“You sure know a lot for an apprentice.” Jaina remarked with a soft, appreciative smile. 

A smile Lirath returned without hesitation. “A compliment coming from you, Jaina, certainly. What brings you to the library, today?” 

“Actually, I...I was hoping to find some sort of book of customs. There isn’t much literature out there in the rest of the world, and I’m expected at a family dinner this evening.” 

“Oh, of course. Come with me?” 

Jaina nodded happily and followed Lirath, who seemed to know these shelves like the back of his hand. Soon enough, she was holding two rather thick books in her arms. Books that were, fortunately, illustrated. “How is your Thalassian, by the way?” 

Jaina grimaced. “Not as good as I would like. I’m afraid anything I’ve gotten my hands on has been rather scholastic and dated in style, and your actual spoken language is much more...well, beautiful. For lack of a better term.”

Lirath looked so pleased that Jaina found herself glad she’d let that slip. “You’ll find those books decipherable then, at least. Though some of our more modern texts might take some additional study. And as for your dinner - it won’t be formal. Just try not to stare at how much my sister can eat in one sitting.” 

Time slowed for a moment. Her blood ran absolutely cold. No. Gods, no. No, no, no. No. “Your...your sister?” 

The smile that curved into Lirath’s playful expression was...terrifying in that moment. But there was no sign that he was offended. Quite the opposite, really. 

“You’re the Grand Magister.” Jaina continued. “And...Sylvanas is your sister.” 

“You look unwell.” Lirath remarked as he reached out and placed a hand on Jaina’s shoulder. “I should have said something sooner. I hope this doesn’t change your opinion of me. It’s only that I’m not used to someone not knowing who I am and it was...reaffirming to know that you didn’t mind my company. All your secrets are safe with me, regardless of my title. And most certainly regardless of my imp of a sister.”

Jaina let out a slow, shaky sigh of relief and couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “You just look so young. I’m...gods, I’m…” 

“I am.” Lirath offered with an almost apologetic smile. “Quite young. Most certainly young for an elf. I think perhaps the two of us might have more in common than we realize.” 

“Are you?” Jaina asked in disbelief and a slight tilt of her head. 

“My mother’s youngest child. Some might even have you believe ‘child’ should be taken quite literally in our culture at my age. Those people likely didn’t grow up in my family. We tend to do things quite early in life while others might still be focused on more frivolous pursuits, as is common.” 

Jaina was almost taken aback for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe they really did have a lot in common. Maybe...maybe she had a friend here. Or at least some common ground? “By choice, or by expectation?” 

“Believe it or not, by choice. I believe Sylvanas and I account for at least most of my mother’s grey hair between my sister’s insistence upon serving as a Ranger while she was scarcely out of infant-hood and climbing ranks so fast and my constant magical escapades.”

“But you’re the Grand Magister.” Jaina mused. “That hardly makes what you’ve done seem like mere escapades.” 

“Perhaps. But what about you?” His eyes remained focused on her own, but she got the distinct sense that he was looking at her in other ways. “You’re dampening, even now. Even surrounded by more magic than you likely ever have been. And you are a human, no less. The power you have the ability to command is so great that you would hide it without thought. And you hide it well, if I might be so bold as to add.”

Jaina was blushing, now, from her neck to her ears - and, finally, she dropped her gaze from Lirath’s for a moment to collect herself. She’d worked so hard. All her life. And to be told…

“Grand Magister! Romath has sent for you. I apologize for the interruption, but it seems his request is urgent.” 

Lirath thanked the messenger in quiet, subdued Thalassian and dismissed his apologies before turning back to Jaina. “I apologize, Lady Jaina. But I look forward to seeing you at dinner tonight. Perhaps another time we can continue?” 

“Jaina. My friends call me Jaina.” She had to stop herself from wincing at how that sounded. But the surprised expression on his face that shifted immediately into another warm, almost disarmingly charming smile eased the slight tinge of embarrassment she felt at her own eagerness. 

“Jaina, then. And I hope to remain just ‘Lirath’.” 

Jaina smiled - a real, genuine smile that almost made her cheeks ache it was so unfamiliar, now, for lack of practice. “Of course. I’ll see you tonight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina, despite Lirath’s reassurances, had expected a certain measure of formality. She’d expected guards lining the hallway and announcements and dignitaries and a hundred other things that might have put her into that space she was so familiar with where she had to perform. She’d been in and out of courts her entire life.

This wasn’t that. Not at all. She knew it from the moment her escort walked her into the dining hall. Well...not so much a hall, as a room. Just a regular dining room. As average as anything in Silvermoon could really be, anyway. Her eyes darted around the room as she stood near the doorway. To Lirath in one corner talking to another young woman who must have been another sister while an older woman listened with a soft, easy smile. They were both beautiful, of course, though Jaina took a moment to note the tattoos that adorned the unfamiliar woman’s face and arm. She also noted the fact that there were only just enough chairs for the family and perhaps one or two guests. This was their private dining room, then? 

She decided to screw up the courage to turn to her escort to ask where the Ranger-General was only to freeze when she realized the escort was gone, and the next sight that met her was Sylvanas rounding the corner - deep in conversation with a woman who could only have been her mother. Not a step or two behind them, another - equally impressive woman. 

Jaina found herself overwhelmed for a moment. Especially when the Regent Lord’s attention shifted quickly to her presence in the middle of the room. Jaina didn’t let on, of course, but for a moment she felt like a rabbit in crosshairs. She’d have been more than reluctant to meet this woman in unfriendly circumstances. 

Yet, when she smiled her greeting to her, Jaina was surprised at just how welcoming she could look - all things considered. 

“Lady Proudmoore.” The greeting was deep and warm, and whatever conversation she’d been buried in with her daughter was immediately abandoned as she approached and reached out to clasp Jaina’s arm in her hand in greeting. “Forgive my children's manners. They haven’t all been in the same place in far too long.” 

Jaina glanced towards the other side of the room to see Lirath casting an apologetic, embarrassed grimace in her direction. 

“Oh, no, Lord Regent. There is absolutely nothing to forgive. I’m afraid I might be a touch early, actually. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance and an honor to dine with you.” Jaina glanced, then, at Sylvanas and then at the other woman that was joining them. 

“My wife, Liadrin. Matriarch of the Blood Knight Order.” Lireesa stood to the side so Liadrin could move closer. There was welcome and warmth in Liadrin’s expression, too. Not as much as she’d encountered with Lirath - but enough to make her own smile much more genuine. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Jaina took Liadrin’s hand in her own when it was offered - noting how rough her palm was, though she was careful not to look down. “Thank you for having me.”

“And you.” Liadrin countered easily before releasing Jaina’s hand and reaching, instead, for the small of Lireesa’s back as she gestured towards the other side of the room. “Across the room huddled like school children, you’ll find Lirath, Vereesa, and Alleria. The rest of the gaggle that I’m surprised Lireesa survived the raising of.” 

Sylvanas looked appalled. Betrayed. Alleria was...cackling from across the room, having no doubt heard Liadrin’s introduction. Finally, both Lireesa and Liadrin made their way to the table, leaving Jaina standing in front of Sylvanas. Sylvanas, who was doing her best to maintain the high ground. 

“We’ve met,” Sylvanas informed Jaina - though there was an almost bemused smile on her face that allowed Jaina not to take it as an insult. 

“We have.” Jaina replied simply, deciding now was an excellent time to display a little grace. She’d have expected Sylvanas’s appearance to be somehow less striking in a room full of other people that were almost painful to look at in their perfection. She’d have been wrong. And it was infuriating. 

“Thank you for coming.” Sylvanas continued. “I hope you enjoy what we have to offer.” 

“Um...thank you.” It was clear Jaina didn’t know what to do with this, but surprisingly - Sylvanas didn’t seem to want to gloat about that fact. 

Jaina was altogether flustered by the time she made it to the table to find a spread unlike any she’d seen in a very long time. Some of it was familiar...most of it wasn’t, and as Sylvanas reached for the first plate, Jaina nearly snorted when Lireesa batted at her hand and cut her eyes in her daughter’s direction. 

“Manners, Sylvanas. Please. We have a guest.” 

Jaina swallowed and pursed her lips as the corners of them threatened to betray her amusement. Her attention was focused solely on Sylvanas as the Ranger-General cleared her throat and offered Jaina an almost pained smile. She was embarrassed. She was _actually_ embarrassed. 

Jaina could have sworn she nearly fainted at that realization. 

“Lady Proudmoore, forgive me.”

“Don’t forgive her. She’s a heathen.” 

Sylvanas’s eyes darted to the other end of the table and threatened to burn holes through Alleria’s skull. 

“Ignore Alleria. She’s getting feeble in her old age.” Sylvanas muttered under her breath as she reached for Jaina’s currently empty plate. “She doesn’t know what is and isn’t appropriate around a dinner table.” 

Alleria made a move to stand up, and Lireesa lifted a hand in her direction. “Behave. Please. Both of you. Sylvanas, please continue.” 

Sylvanas cleared her throat again in a way that was entirely too haughty for the occasion, and Jaina finally lost it - turning her head to the side quickly and lifting a hand to her mouth as she gathered herself as best she could. 

Sylvanas ignored her completely and reached for the first dish. “Squab. I’m sure you’re familiar. Roasted with juniper berries and table grapes, wrapped in…” 

“Bacon?” Jaina offered quietly, though there was no hint of amusement in her voice. She was quite well aware of the types of words one was likely to know in another’s language and ones that weren’t quite so necessary. 

“From boars? From the belly.” Sylvanas explained, and Jaina nodded. Sylvanas seemed oddly pleased at this newfound knowledge. She continued to the next dish. “Layered roasted root vegetables...and this is ah...asparagus. With butter and cream and cheeses and citrus zest and crumbled bread baked on top.” 

“Gratin,” Jaina said with an appreciative smile. “I haven’t had it in years. It looks wonderful.” 

Jaina knew the others had already served themselves and settled into various conversations as Sylvanas continued filling her plate for her, but she didn’t care. For the most part, they were speaking in Thalassian while Sylvanas told her what she was going to eat and Jaina filled in the Common words she didn’t know. 

She ended up with a plate that was full of easily twice the amount of food she might normally eat. Sylvanas looked at it worriedly for a moment as she placed it down before speaking. 

“You can have as much as you want, of course. As many helpings, I mean.” 

Jaina nodded through her shock. _Helpings?_

Over the course of the meal, Jaina came to a lot of realizations. Almost all their food was sweet, somehow. Through berries or fruits or, in the case of a rather sinfully delicious type of roll called honey bread - well...honey. 

Even the wine was sweet. And it wasn’t mana wine, as Jaina had come to expect. No, it was different from anything she’d ever had before. Both crisp and richly sweet all at once. Different enough for her to finally ask Sylvanas what it was. 

“Do you like it?” 

It seemed even as self-important as the General was, she was also very easy to please. Any time Jaina had complimented the food - Sylvanas seemed to positively beam.

“Yes, very much. I’ve never had anything like it.”

“It’s ice wine,” Sylvanas explained as she picked up her own glass and looked at it before taking a shallow sip and placing it back down. “The vineyard is frozen before the harvest - through magic, of course - and then the grapes are pressed while they’re still frozen.” 

“Thank you,” Jaina said as Sylvanas returned to her meal. “For telling me, I mean. You must be getting bored of explaining everything to me.” 

“Not at all,” Sylvanas replied without hesitation. “We’ve been teaching each other a lot over the course of the evening. I’ve enjoyed it.” 

For a moment, Sylvanas looked at her. Really, really looked at her. She’d started finding it almost impossible to be annoyed by her presence. She’d started finding it almost impossible to find Jaina so far removed from herself and her people. 

“So have I.” Jaina was returning that almost measuring look, undaunted by the one Sylvanas had leveled on her. They both averted their eyes at the same time. 

It really hadn’t been formal. The conversation had slipped in and out of Common in a way that felt natural - in a way that left Jaina feeling at home rather than excluded. There was no small amount of teasing and laughter. Another thing Jaina learned that night was that elves could _eat_. Sylvanas had polished off three squabs by now, and her mother was still pestering her to eat more, even going so far as to put one on her plate when she didn’t move to do it quickly enough, herself. 

Where the hell did they put it all? 

Jaina had given up for a solid hour by the time the meal finally came to an end with Lireesa begging everyone’s pardon as she stood with Liadrin not far behind. 

Sylvanas removed the silk napkin from her lap and placed it on the table as she got up, too - though she held out an arm in Jaina’s direction. “I’ll show you to your rooms.” 

“Oh, that won’t be...I...of course.” 

Jaina rushed to take the arm that had been offered to her, and she lifted a hand at Lirath as he beamed at her over the glass of wine he had no intention of abandoning. 

At first, when they got into the relative silence of the corridors, they walked quietly - though Sylvanas made no move to lower her arm, and Jaina made no move to let it go. 

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Sylvanas asked just as Jaina was wondering why she could only hear her own footsteps and not two sets. Did she really walk so lightly? 

“I did.” Jaina replied - and it was true. She had. “It’s so nice. It was so nice, I...I haven’t had that in a long time.”

“Mm. I suppose it is nice, now and then.” 

Jaina nodded. It seemed like the appropriate response - before more silence fell over them as she ran everything she’d said and done for the course of the evening through her mind as she was apt to do. “I apologize if I said or did anything offensive. The Common thing...I didn’t mean to insinuate yours is inadequate or…” 

“Not at all. Just because I like to be right doesn’t mean I don’t like to learn new things. Imagine all the future dignitaries I’ll impress by knowing the word ‘bacon’.”

She’d said that so dryly, Jaina expected to look over her and find a look of agitation. But she didn’t. There was a smile curling Sylvanas’s lips and softening her features in a way that made her look almost like an entirely different person. 

“Being here is almost surreal in some ways.” Jaina slowed her pace when she noticed Sylvanas had done the same. 

“Explain?” 

“It’s...it’s as if he didn’t even touch you, here. Like the rest of the world is still burning and you’re thriving.” 

Jaina winced as Sylvanas guided her hand off of her arm and moved away slightly. Shit. 

“You believe that?” Sylvanas asked - and her voice had a quiet, almost hurt edge, as opposed to anything mean-spirited or angry. 

Jaina shook her head in frustration and turned to face her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like...I didn’t even think before I said it.” 

A hundred things flashed through Sylvanas’s mind, then. None too few of them, the scars that road mapped her body beneath the finely tailored clothing she was wearing. 

“Is your schedule clear in the morning?” 

Jaina looked both hopeful and full of regret when she nodded. 

“Your people are horse people, yes? I’m sure you ride. I’ll have one of my best waiting in the stables for you at sunrise. I’d like to show you something. I’d like for you to better understand me. To better understand this place and my people. If that’s something you would find agreeable.” 

“Yes, of course. And please - I didn’t mean that how it came across.” 

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Sylvanas replied, though the slightly red tinge to her ears betrayed that she might not be feeling that way, entirely. “I hope that you didn’t. Sleep well.” 

With that, she was gone - back the way she’d come. This time, Jaina could hear the heels of Sylvanas’s boots on the floor as she walked. 

Damn. 

_Damn._


	5. Assumptions

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Jaina had already had a rough morning. Between trying to find something adequate to wear for a long ride, taming her hair into a braid tight enough that it wouldn’t come out, and defending Sylvanas against Pained for reasons she couldn’t comprehend - she’d lived a full life by the time she made it to the stables. 

The last thing she expected to find when she got there, was Sylvanas saddling her own horse next to one that was already fitted out. Everything about her seemed different. Maybe it had something to do with the ruddy green and brown leathers she was wearing or the fact that her hair was tucked into the hood of her cloak. 

It was also strange to see horses standing so still. Especially the one currently being worked with. He seemed perfectly content with being cinched and buckled and tightened without so much as a single huff of a complaint. 

“Good morning, Lady Proudmoore.” 

Jaina tried to jump in surprise as subtly as she could. She hadn’t realized Sylvanas had even seen her standing there in the open doorway. 

“They’re so calm,” Jaina remarked in response. “I didn’t want to walk in and ruin that. I’m quite good at putting my foot in things...I didn’t want to do it again, and so soon.” 

“Come closer,” Sylvanas responded as she looked at Jaina over the saddle she was tugging at to check for any looseness. “You won’t bother them.” 

Sylvanas turned her head, then, when she felt a slight nudge at her shoulder that caused her to smile. “Will she, old friend?” She placed a gloved hand on the beast’s muzzle and pushed it away gently as she walked around him towards Jaina. 

Jaina had been around horses for a great majority of her life. Great, brave beasts of high breeding meant to carry their bearers to war. These were...decidedly different. Aside from the vicious horns that grew from between their ears, they seemed so agile. She carefully reached out to touch the slender neck of the one that was obviously saddled for her. He had more tack. An actual bit, where Sylvanas’s had none. It seemed like he was a fairly good sport about it, at least. 

“What kind of horses are they? And what about the hawkstriders?” Jaina tilted her head slightly in curiosity and cut her eyes in Sylvanas’s direction to see her checking one of their supply packs. 

“Elven horses,” Sylvanas explained evenly. “Rangers don’t ride the birds. They aren’t steady enough for the things we do.”

“They look like-”

“Unicorns?” Sylvanas asked with a quiet, pleasant little laugh that had been surprisingly free of derision. “I suppose they are, really. I suppose they look like something out of one of your fables. It would be difficult for an outsider who has seen them to describe them in any other way. But they are just horses, in the end. Without the unwieldiness. They can navigate a forest at a full gallop and they require very little in the way of guidance.” 

“How?” Jaina asked with a furrow of her brow. “Do you...communicate with them?” 

“No.” Sylvanas snorted as she began walking towards the doors of the stables - not bothering to lead her horse. He seemed perfectly capable of meandering along beside her, followed closely by the one that had been assigned to Jaina. “Damn. I should have told you that we do.” She didn’t mount up until they were outside, but when she did - it was with fluid, practiced ease. It was a movement she hadn’t exactly expected Jaina to mirror. But she did. 

Sure, it wasn’t as smooth. Jaina just didn’t have the grace of an elf. But it _had_ been very easy. Very natural. And her seat was decent, too. In her moment of distraction, she hadn’t really caught the look of confusion on Jaina’s face until she spoke. 

“I can’t tell if you’re making fun of me or not, so I’m not sure if I should be insulted or amused.” 

Sylvanas dropped back enough that they were riding next to one another through the still-quiet city streets to make it easier for them to speak to each other before she finally answered. Mostly, it had been an excuse to gather her thoughts. “If I was making fun of you, it wasn’t on purpose.” 

“That was very honest of you,” Jaina said quietly, adjusting herself in her saddle and glancing over at the other woman. “Thank you. Would you tell me where we’re going now?” 

It struck Sylvanas, suddenly, that Jaina was incredibly patient. She ran over in her head all the times she could have been insulted or left or called an end to all of this. Patient, or determined. She was something, alright. Sylvanas could respect that. 

“I’m going to show you the Scar and its people.” 

Jaina swallowed thickly at the way Sylvanas had said that. “What do you mean, its people?” 

“Those that...survived. If you would call it that. Those that enjoy the safety of our borders and the security of knowing they will never be hunted here like they were out there. It might be something that you could better understand if you see it for yourself. Tell me if you need to stop? I’m not sure how much riding you’ve done of late, but I don’t want you to sacrifice your comfort for my stamina.” 

Jaina might have tried to come up with some witty retort had that not sounded so genuine. But...it had. So, if Sylvanas was in a more hospitable mood, perhaps she could try another avenue. 

“How long have you been in the military?” 

Sylvanas’s ears shifted in response to that question. Upwards. Just slightly. Just enough for Jaina to notice. 

“Since I was old enough to start my training with the Rangers in my adolescence. I swore myself perhaps ten, fifteen years after that. I believe two or three years ago would have marked my eightieth year.” 

“So long?” Jaina asked, feeling a bit easier now that they were out of the city proper. She noticed Sylvanas seemed more comfortable now, too. There was something significantly less formal, now, about the way she rode and carried herself. 

“It takes a long time to become a Ranger. It takes a long time to become anything, here. Unless you’re my brother, of course. But he’s quite a special case. Far more talent than he has years, and enough wisdom for a dozen people his age.” 

“You seem older than you are in some ways,” Jaina remarked as her attention was stolen, for a moment, by the almost shocking beauty of the golden leaves of the trees that lined the sides of the road they’d found themselves on. 

“And in others not, I’m guessing?” Sylvanas asked - her voice oddly quiet. Enough so that Jaina looked over at her questioningly. 

“I’m not very old. Though the last war probably reduced our median age significantly.” 

“War has a tendency to do that.” Jaina agreed, sounding as subdued as Sylvanas suddenly felt. 

For a while, they allowed the silence to both consume and comfort them. It was nice to just listen to the birdsong and the occasional babbling of a brook beyond the trail, and Jaina was fairly certain she’d never seen anything as beautiful as this. She thought to ask Sylvanas if she preferred it here to the city, but when she looked at her and saw how utterly content she looked, she decided she didn’t need to. 

“Perhaps we should have had our negotiations out here.” Jaina knew that had been risky. But they were alone. There was no one around to hear it. No one for Sylvanas to save face for. 

And the sheepish way Sylvanas smiled at her told her that the comment hadn’t missed its mark. Nor had it been ill-received. 

“Are you finding my company more enjoyable when it comes with less talking?” Sylvanas asked almost mischievously. 

“I think it’s more about the posturing if I’m being entirely honest.”

“What’s wrong with my posturing?” Sylvanas asked, feigning a great deal of indignance as she did so. 

“Oh, nothing. It’s exquisite. You make quite the stunning peacock.” 

Sylvanas squared her shoulders almost imperceptibly. Almost. “Stunning, you say?” 

Jaina rolled her eyes and shook her head. “This is terrible. _You_ are terrible.” 

“You said I was stunning only a moment ago.” 

“I also said you were a peacock. And I’m no peahen. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t been nearly as affected by your strutting as you might have expected me to be.” 

“I wasn’t trying to...if I were...you would…” 

Both Jaina’s brows were raised as she looked over at the General. “Would I, now?” Jaina made a little noise that sounded like the very beginning of a laugh before she cut it off quickly. “Perhaps you’re right. I’m unused to such eloquent articulation coming from a military commander. Do be careful with my heart, after having stolen it away so handily.” 

“Okay, okay. You win. I get it. I’ve been insufferable. Are you going to tell my mother?” 

Now, they were both laughing. Laughter that went a long way in easing some of the tension that had existed between them since they’d first met. Laughter that faded out into another bout of quiet riding. 

Quiet, after a while, for a very different reason. 

It had felt almost physical - the shifting of energy around them. Especially to Jaina, who had only just become accustomed to the constant magical undercurrent of this place. Where Silvermoon felt...almost warm under the blanket of the Sunwell, this was different. It felt sick. It felt cold. It felt that way before anything had even begun to look different. 

And when they got to the place where the leaves were no longer golden - where the ground itself looked ill and diseased - Jaina felt her heart sink. 

To have gone from such beauty and light to this was...well, utterly overwhelming. It took her breath away. And it affected Sylvanas, too. Her ears pressed back and began shifting in response to sounds. She’d even rested a hand over the bow that was strapped to her saddle. 

“Is there Scourge here?” Jaina asked quietly as she lifted one of her hands so she would be at the ready. 

“Not likely.” Sylvanas responded just as softly. “We’ll be at the village soon. The villagers take care of any diseased that remain.”

“Villagers?” Jaina asked in a whisper. For some reason, she found the thought of these people having to live in such a place terrible. She couldn’t begin to imagine an elf thriving here in the darkness and sickness that had taken such a hold on this land. 

As they crested a hill, Jaina got her answer before Sylvanas even had to begin to explain. 

“Ranger-General!” The voice was a croak. A terrible, awful sound that was somehow also full of...surprise, perhaps, at seeing Sylvanas. This was...how? How? 

“Greetings, Commander Belmont,” Sylvanas responded with a lift of her hand. 

He might have smiled in response. Jaina couldn’t be sure, between the shock and the fact that his jaw was having at least marginal trouble staying connected to his skull. 

“And…” He eyed Jaina carefully as they came closer. A flash of recognition might have crossed his face - if only for a moment. 

“Lady Jaina Proudmoore of Theramore. She’s come on behalf of her nation. A political visit.” 

He looked uneasy to say the very least. Mistrustful, at best. But he nodded up at Sylvanas. “Yes, General. Of course. Will you be taking her to the village?” 

Sylvanas smiled at him in an attempt to ease his nerves. “Yes, Belmont. Is the way clear?”

“It is. My patrol has been quiet for going on two weeks, now.” 

“Be on your way, then. Don’t let me keep you from it.” 

He nodded and continued on. Sylvanas kept her horse where it was as what looked like a small unit of others like him came over the hill behind him. They all looked - first at Sylvanas, then at Jaina. Some of them even nodded their heads faintly. 

The next time Sylvanas looked over at Jaina, she looked pale. As though the blood had all drained from her face. Yet, it was Jaina who urged her horse forward, first. It was Jaina who steeled herself against what she now understood to be an inevitability. 

A reality. 

One that was unavoidable, as both familiar and eerily foreign chatter reached her ears. It was a village, alright. Of Elven buildings, full of...risen humans. People. _Jaina’s_ people.

“Lordaeron.” Jaina whispered as she dismounted just behind Sylvanas. “I know these colors. I…” 

She trailed off as they walked towards what looked almost like a small market. There wasn’t food or anything familiar like that. There were potions and other materials that Jaina would associate with alchemy and things of that nature. 

“I know these people.” 

Sylvanas’s ears fell slightly. There was hurt in Jaina’s voice. Hurt that she hadn’t intended to put there. And just as she was about to suggest they’d seen enough, something even more unexpected happened. 

“Lady Jaina?” Another one of those crackly, gravelly voices. Though this time it was decidedly feminine. 

Jaina turned quickly on her heel, and Sylvanas nearly reached out for her. She feared Jaina’s reaction. She expected one of terror, or disgust as the risen woman approached her cautiously. 

“Vallia?” 

“Jaina! I haven’t seen you in...oh, look at you!” 

She certainly hadn’t expected to watch Jaina lean down and pull this woman into a hug so tight she feared Vallia might lose a limb or two. Thank the Sunwell that didn’t happen. 

Vallia held Jaina at arms length for a moment and looked her over carefully, not even sparing Sylvanas a glance as she did so. “Such a beautiful young woman. Oh, you’ve grown. And you’ve come an awfully long way, haven’t you? What is it this time? A knee scrape? A cold? You likely could have gotten one of my poultices elsewhere, you know.”

For all intents and purposes, it just...seemed like two old friends catching up. Jaina seemed so unbothered by the smell that always hung around the village. By the fact that she was talking to someone who had, only months ago, been a member of the Scourge army that had threatened to overrun their world and everything in it. 

And this wasn’t the only person Jaina recognized. This wasn’t the only person she spoke to. Before long, she was being led around the village by a small gathering of its little citizenry. Sometimes, in their excitement, one of them would even take her hand and pull her along. 

Sylvanas trailed along - checking in with members of the guard now and then. For the most part, though, she stayed very much in the sidelines. It was a lot to process. The sudden, violent shift in her opinion of Jaina Proudmoore was a _lot_ to process. 

Their visit lasted a long time. A lot longer than Sylvanas had intended it to, but she still approached Jaina almost cautiously and touched her arm gently when there was a lull in the conversations she’d been bombarded with. 

“We should go. It still isn’t safe to ride here at night.” 

Jaina nodded faintly, and Sylvanas looked down to see her grasping her hand tightly. “Let’s go, then.” 

Sylvanas didn’t really know what to do with herself as they rode out. She wasn’t used to being wrong. Especially not about people. 

“Jaina, I didn’t know.” Sylvanas finally said, measuring the words carefully before she spoke them. “That wasn’t my intention.” 

“It’s fine,” Jaina responded stiffly. In fact, she was doing everything stiffly. Even the way she rode was almost robotic. “Of course, you didn’t know. You didn’t bother to ask. Your intention wasn’t to cause me any emotional discomfort. It was to reassure yourself that I am the shallow young girl that you believe me to be. Perhaps it isn’t me that’s shallow.” When her voice broke, Jaina pulled her horse to a stop and dismounted. 

Sylvanas followed her quickly. 

“I’m sorry.” Jaina’s voice was rushed and almost frantic as she held out a hand to keep Sylvanas at bay. “Please, forgive that remark. Give me a moment.”

“Jaina you needn’t apologize, please, just let me-” 

“I said I need a moment.” Jaina’s jaw was clenched as she turned on Sylvanas beseechingly. “Before I say anything else I’m going to regret, can you please give me a moment to process the fact that I just spoke with people I thought were dead who I have known since I was a _child_. Can you give me a moment to process the fact that they’re still _dead_?” 

Sylvanas saw the weakness in Jaina’s knees before she stumbled. And instead of coming into contact with the ground, Jaina found the palms of her hands catching the General’s shoulders. The next thing she knew, she was somewhere she could never have guessed she would be. 

In the dirt and leaves of the forest floor wrapped firmly in Sylvanas’s arms. And Sylvanas was shifting so that _she_ would be more comfortable. Shifting so that more of herself and less of Jaina was on the ground. 

In that moment - the softness of it all was too much, and in the moments that followed - Jaina learned a lot more about Sylvanas than she’d known previously. She learned that she wasn’t above wiping away tears or making countless frantic, whispered apologies. 

Jaina composed herself as quickly as she could, but she allowed Sylvanas to help her brush the leaves off her clothing and get her back on her horse. It was clear that she was mortified - from the redness in her face, to her refusal to meet Sylvanas’s eyes for any significant length of time. 

Sylvanas had never been so relieved as she was when Jaina finally spoke. “Can we please forget that this happened?” 

“Of course. There isn’t anything wrong with what just happened. But of course.” Sylvanas hadn’t even hesitated, and that fact gave Jaina at least some measure of comfort. 

There wasn’t any more talking, though. Despite how close Sylvanas kept her horse to Jaina’s. There was nothing, really, until they made it back to the stables just after nightfall. 

“Can I walk you to your rooms?”

The question had been so subdued. It had been a genuine question. One that Sylvanas seemed uncharacteristically concerned about the answer to. 

“Yes. I’d like the company, I think.” 

“The stablehands will take care of the horses.”

For that, at least, Jaina was thankful. She was exhausted in almost every imaginable way. Exhausted enough that she found Sylvanas’s presence at her side comforting in the unfamiliar streets and hallways. Exhausted enough that she lingered at the door as Sylvanas held it open for her. 

Lingered long enough for Sylvanas to slide her hand from the handle to cover Jaina’s where it had reached to grip the edge of the door. “Accept my apology. Please.” 

Jaina’s lips parted as Sylvanas’s gloved thumb brushed across her knuckles before it went still. “What are you apologizing for, exactly? That might help.” 

“For being wrong, and for acting upon the assumptions that that wrongness led me to making.”

Jaina was quiet for a moment. This was almost as much to process as a town full of talking dead people that kept commenting on how much she’d grown. 

“Jaina, I’m sorry for being awful to you. You didn’t deserve it. That’s what I’m apologizing for.” 

Jaina lifted her eyes and finally met the soft glowing ones that had been staring holes into her the entire time they’d been standing there. 

“I accept your apology, of course,” Jaina said as her brow furrowed. “It isn’t as though you’re without your reasons, and-” 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” 

Sylvanas’s ears pressed back as she recognized Pained’s voice and her accent all at once, and she drew her hand away from Jaina’s quickly.

“Just a private conversation. Nothing much.” Sylvanas responded dryly as she turned to see the Night Elf walking towards her down the hall. 

“Good. I was hoping to borrow you for a short while. Jaina, do you need anything before you go to bed this evening?” 

Jaina offered Pained a weak smile and shook her head, and Pained certainly didn’t miss the way she glanced quickly at Sylvanas before retreating into her bedroom and shutting the door. 

Sylvanas could feel her own jaw clench as she fell into step beside Pained, who seemed intent upon making it out of earshot of Jaina’s room before she spoke. 

“She told me you were taking her for a ride this morning. I didn’t think you would also be trying to take her for a ride this evening.” 

“Bold accusations, Night Elf, to be making against me in my own home.” 

“She is a grown woman. I care little about who she beds, as long as it isn’t someone like you.” 

“Someone like me?” Sylvanas asked the question as she was already turning. Pained wasn’t walking anymore, either. They were both just facing each other - ears back - shoulders tense. 

“Someone who thinks she’s some helpless, ignorant little girl. Someone who has the audacity to think themselves better than her because they’ve done a little suffering.” 

If that stung, Sylvanas didn’t show it. Not to Pained. Not right now, certainly. “I’ve already apologized to her for-”

“Is that what you were doing at her bedroom door? Is that what that was? You don’t even know what you were apologizing for. You don’t even know her, little General.” 

“And you don’t know me.” Sylvanas almost spat the last word. She hadn’t meant to bare her fangs. She hadn’t meant to show her youth and her temper and her pride so easily. 

“At least you kept those. Don’t know why you did away with the height, though.” Pained remarked - her tone infuriatingly bored. 

The furious expression on Sylvanas’s face faded in response to what she could have sworn was a near-smile on Pained’s face. 

“That’s it. Calm down before your guards have to pry you off of me like a kitten from a tree trunk. I didn’t come here to fight with you. That’s the last thing either of us needs. I came to provide you a little insight because I can’t stand to see her treated the way she’s been treated for another moment.” 

She didn’t continue until Sylvanas took a step back from where she’d effectively been bowed up. Or, rather, ineffectively. That was, perhaps, a touch more accurate. 

“I can forgive youth. I can forgive ignorance from someone who has been cloistered the way that you have. But you won’t have that excuse anymore, after tonight. After tonight, when you look at her, you’ll look at the woman who founded a city of people who survived the scourge on a hair and a whim. You’ll look at the woman who faced Archimonde and lived to tell the tale.” 

Sylvanas looked appropriately stunned. Pained was only just getting started. 

“Another thing you didn’t know, in your infinite wisdom, is that she led _your_ people, there. In Hyjal. The Quel’dorei fought for her as fiercely as ever they have fought for you. We all did. Know that, at least.” 

Sylvanas leaned back against the wall she was nearest to and she tried to push the burning sensation in her scalp back down and out of the forefront of her thoughts. 

“I didn’t come here to humiliate you.” Pained continued after a while. “I only want to ask that you stop trying to humiliate her, because she’s not like you. She wouldn’t risk anyone else’s feelings to make herself seem something that she’s not. Or something that she is. She would rather allow you to believe what you would.” 

Sylvanas nodded faintly. Just once.

“Be kind to her.” Pained continued. “If there is something...else. Be kind to her.” 

Pained was gone before Sylvanas could think of an appropriate response to that. And maybe that was for the best. She couldn’t remember ever having felt more ill-prepared for a comeback in her life.


	6. Al Diel Shala

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“What did you say to her?” 

Pained winced as she looked up at Jaina from her bed and cursed the fact that they’d been given adjoining rooms. Ah, well. This conversation would have happened either way. Better now than later. She just wished she’d gotten up early enough to have breakfast, first...

She sighed and sat up slowly only to find Jaina moving to take the chair near her bed with an accusatory expression on her face. 

“Things that she needed to know. Things you weren’t going to tell her on your own. Did you even get any sleep last night?”

“You didn’t have any right to do that. I don’t need you to protect me from her.” 

Pained drew in a breath to steady herself and propped a few pillows behind herself. 

“I know that you don’t. I know that if she were a real threat to you, you would deal with it.” Pained paused. “A physical threat.” 

Jaina’s eyes shut for a moment. “That wasn’t much of an explanation.” 

“She’s been treating you like some second rate citizen since you got here. Their kind has always been-” 

“Can we not use that language to have this conversation, please?” Jaina’s tone was sharp, but her eyes weren’t when they opened again. They were almost pleading. “Guilt isn’t generational. Neither are perceived crimes.” 

“I’m sorry.” Pained’s voice was quiet. Genuinely apologetic. She knew how much Jaina hated for her or anyone else to talk like that. She was just...barely awake, right now. And more than a little protective. 

Jaina, on the other hand, was still looking at her expectantly. 

“I told her about Hyjal. I told her about Theramore and that you would never be the type of person to put someone else’s feelings above your own for the sake of your accomplishments.” 

Jaina sat there stunned for a moment as Pained picked out a place on the silk comforter covering her lap to stare at. “And I called her short. Twice, I think.” 

Jaina licked her lips as she stared incredulously at the woman who was currently refusing to look at her. “Are you d-”

“And I asked that if there is something between the two of you - she treat you kindly.” 

Jaina nearly choked at the implication. “Pained! How could you… I can’t believe you would… how could you possibly think?” 

Pained finally looked at her, then. Mostly in disbelief. “She looked half ready to crawl into your bed when I walked down the hall last night, what do you mean how could I possibly?” Pained faltered, then, at the look of disbelief on Jaina’s face. At the fact that this likely hadn’t even occurred to her before now. Damn it. _Damn it._ “Jaina, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything, of course.” 

“Insinuate? That was hardly an insinuation. ‘Crawl into my bed’ is hardly an insinuation. This is coming out of nowhere. You don’t even know what happened while we were alone together. For all you know, she carried on as she has been, made even more of an ass of herself, and only solidified the awful opinion I already had of her.” 

“Did she?” Pained didn’t bother to hide the hopeful lilt to her voice. “I only assumed she did. I asked around enough to find out where she’d taken you. That was largely why I had the conversation that I had with her last night.” 

“No, absolutely not. But you would know that if you cared to ask me how it went. As a matter of fact, she was more than pleasant. And she was falling over herself to apologize to me when she saw how upset I was. And even before that. She was...she was funny. Accommodating. She was a real. Person. And I made a complete ass of myself and cried like an old maid and she sat in the dirt with me until I managed to calm myself and...and you called her short for it! Twice!” 

“You heard yourself just now, right?” Pained asked carefully when Jaina was finally done. 

“Don’t patronize me.” 

“I only asked you a question.” Pained spoke even more softly now that Jaina was blushing so furiously. 

“I did.” Jaina snapped as she leaned back in the chair she’d taken up residence in and tucked her legs beneath herself. “There isn’t anything there. I’m here for a reason, and it has nothing to do with some egotistical General.”

“That’s good.” Pained sound relieved, and Jaina didn’t know why it bothered her so much. “I know her type. And, no, I don’t mean the type of elf she is. I mean the type of person she is. Too pretty for her own good, and is way too well aware of the fact. I don’t want to see your heart broken. Not again. You don’t deserve it, and I won’t be held responsible for what becomes of her if she’s to blame for it.” 

“I’m more than capable of handling this side of my life on my own, Pained. And she’s uninvolved with this side of my life, anyway. If she were, it would be my choice. Really. It’s as though you’re trying to protect some sort of non-existent honor, of which I have very little - if we’re talking about-” 

“Please. Jaina.” Pained agreed as she rested her head against the headboard in a way that made her ears spread out almost comically. “We’ve covered the fact that I’m talking about your emotional state, not your physical one.” 

“As long as we’re clear.” 

“We’re clear.” Pained looked miserable. Jaina figured it was time to show her at least a little pity, so when she stood, she walked over to her and reached out for something she hadn’t asked for in the longest time, but something that Pained was glad to give. A hug. A warm, tight one that Pained held her in securely until she was ready to pull back. 

“Are you going back to sleep?” Pained asked as Jaina glanced at her splayed-out ears and smiled softly. 

“Yeah. I’m exhausted, and we leave tomorrow. I need to rest up for the council meetings.” 

“I’ll make sure no one bothers you.” Pained offered as Jaina retreated towards the door. 

Jaina faltered just before she got to it, and glanced over her shoulder at the woman who was now staring at her from the bed. 

“Unless you want them to bother you?” 

“Better.” 

Pained could have sworn her eyes nearly rolled out of her head once the door shut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lireesa offered Sylvanas a soft smile when she glanced up to see the door to her private quarters opening slowly. “Don’t just stand out there, child. Come in.” 

Sylvanas looked strangely relieved to be invited, and shut the door quietly behind herself once she slipped inside. 

Lireesa placed the quill she’d been writing with down and turned in her chair to face her daughter when she noticed the almost pensive look on her face, but she made no move to urge her to speak. If there was anything she knew about Sylvanas - it was that it was best to let her do things at her own pace. Things like this, at least.

“Mother, I...I made a series of miscalculations and I’m uncertain as to what I should do.” 

“A series of miscalculations?” Lireesa asked with a lift of one of her brows. “Come sit. Tell me.” 

Sylvanas moved towards Lireesa, and Lireesa nearly laughed when Sylvanas sat on the floor near her desk chair with her legs folded. This must have been serious, then. 

“You’re behaving like a wet puppy. This must be about a girl.” 

Sylvanas’s ears wilted significantly and Lireesa chuckled quietly as she relaxed in her chair. Poor child. 

“It’s...technically, yes. More of a woman, I think, but yes.”

“Oh, a woman? Sounds serious.”

Sylvanas shot her mother a look, and Lireesa managed not to laugh as she waited for her daughter to continue. 

“It isn’t like that. It’s...I was...I hate this.”

“I know you do. You hate anything intangible.” 

“Mother, please?” 

Lireesa lifted a hand in defense and remained silent, even as difficult as it sometimes was to not give her daughter a hard time. 

Sylvanas drew in a deep breath and looked down at where she’d folded her hands in her lap to have something to focus on as she spoke. 

“I had a preconceived notion of the humans. I treated Lady Proudmoore in a manner that would have been in line with those notions. The problem is - they were wrong. At least in regards to her. In fact, she’s nothing like that at all. I apologized, of course - and she seemed accepting enough, I suppose.”

“Well...you haven’t brought things to a place where they’re irreparable, at least. She expressed formal interest in continuing negotiations beyond her first visit. I received the correspondence this morning. That doesn’t explain why you’re so concerned, though. It isn’t as though anything really hinges upon this.” 

“Because it was unfair of me. And because she didn’t deserve it. And because I don’t know how to make it right.” Sylvanas answered quickly. Like she’d already worked this out in her head before she’d ever even come to Lireesa.

“Don’t you think that this is, perhaps, a conversation you should be having with her before she leaves? Instead of letting it weigh on you like this...wouldn’t it be best to get it out into the open?” 

Lireesa was right, of course. She was always right. With a quick hug and a pat on her head from her mother, Sylvanas retreated to continue procrastinating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina spent most of the morning hard at work at the desk in her room. She had piles of notes to go through and transcribe into something legible for the members of her council. She had offers and proposals to calculate and pros and cons to consider, because this was, after all, supposed to be about trade. About what was good for Theramore - in the end. 

As difficult as it was to focus on that fact, she was forcing herself to. Arthas had to be lower on her list of priorities than her own people. He simply had to be. Even if she’d just been faced with the harsh reality of the fate of Lordaeron and its people. Even if she believed her suffering and her need for closure paled in comparison to their own. 

For the most part, Pained let her be. Aside from a tray of various breakfast-type foods that would be easy for her to eat while she worked, Jaina remained undisturbed. 

Until she’d worked most of the day away, and Pained knocked on her door again - only from the hallway this time, which Jaina found strange. The knock had been strange, too...what…

Jaina tied her robe a touch more tightly around herself as she stood and made her way towards the door quickly. “Who is it?” 

“Uh...I...It’s Sylvanas. I could use a little help. I think I overdid it.” 

Jaina’s brow furrowed and she opened the door quickly. Just in time to see Sylvanas precariously balancing two separate platters of food and a flagon of wine in her hands and arms. 

Jaina caught the wine just as it began to fall, and Sylvanas laughed nervously. “Thanks. I made it to the kitchen and realized that, well...I don’t know anything about you, really. I don’t even know what you like to eat. So I had them work up a little of everything in hopes that you’d like some of it. There are even a couple of meat pies. One of the cooks assured me that humans like meat pies. We do, too. I don’t know if you knew.”

There was an almost nervous energy surrounding the General as she made her way inside to place the platters down only to find Jaina’s desk totally full of scrolls and parchments. Undeterred - she moved, instead, to the bed to sit everything down. “The wine is what we had at when you were with us for dinner. It seemed like you enjoyed that, so...there are also more of those buns? Do you recall? The honeyed ones?” Sylvanas wasn’t even looking at Jaina as she took a verbal inventory of all the food she’d brought with her. 

Jaina simply watched her for a while - listened to her babble on about various food items - looked over her simple, yet elegant clothing. More black and gold. More finely tailored breeches and boots and a shirt that laced at the chest. Not too casual. Not too formal. 

Jaina also noticed her ears. They seemed strangely low, compared to all the other times Jaina had seen them - usually high and proud like some sort of physical challenge. 

“Ranger-General?” Jaina finally hazarded a greeting and Sylvanas paused, swallowing thickly as she slowly turned her attention to Jaina. 

“Apologies. Good evening, Lady Proudmoore. I’ll just leave this here if you like?” 

“You brought enough for an entire family. You may as well join me, yes?” 

“If you’ll have me,” Sylvanas responded with the faintest hint of a smile. “I was hoping that you would.” 

“Of course. Would you do me a favor, though?” 

Sylvanas nodded faintly as she sat on the very edge of the foot of the bed. 

“Would you call me Jaina tonight? I understand that that wouldn’t be proper elsewhere. But it’s just the two of us here.” 

Sylvanas nodded again. “I can do that if it would make you more comfortable.” 

Jaina sighed her relief and moved to join Sylvanas on the bed so that the food was between them. “I’m perfectly comfortable. You, on the other hand, seem to not be. Is there anything I can do for you?” 

For the first time that evening, Jaina realized she was absolutely starving. She found herself choosing her third item before Sylvanas had even finished her first. 

“I’m perfectly fine.” Sylvanas was lying, and she was terrible at it. Jaina began to wonder if she was actually terrible at anything she wasn’t absolutely confident in. That thought gave her a little comfort. “It’s only that you’re leaving tomorrow, and we were in the middle of a conversation last night when…” Sylvanas trailed off, and Jaina finally took pity on her. 

“When Pained dragged you away.” Jaina offered, and Sylvanas stopped chewing for a moment before finishing the bite of food she’d been worrying at for far too long. “I take it this is an unofficial visit, then, and it would be safe for me to speak with you freely?” 

Sylvanas gave up on eating for the time being, and one of her ears lifted slightly in a gesture that almost felt hopeful to Jaina. “Of course you can speak freely.”

“Why do you act the way that you do if you’re only going to regret it later?” 

For a moment, Sylvanas considered amending her previous offer. Not _that_ freely. But she didn’t. 

“I didn’t know that I was going to regret it,” Sylvanas admitted, glancing over as Jaina moved to retrieve a set of glasses from a table nearby. She poured each of them half full and handed one over, and Sylvanas thanked her quietly. 

“I hope Pained wasn’t as bad as all that,” Jaina responded - clearly amused. 

“She was awful, actually, thank you for asking. But I regretted it before that. I just...regret it even more now. I’m unused to whatever this is. I can admit that.”

“Being challenged,” Jaina suggested gently. “You’re unused to being challenged. And that isn’t exactly unexpected. Between your position and your social standing, I’m sure most people that you deal with feel absolutely graced by your presence. But if you would like to know, this is the first time I’ve felt graced by it in any sense of the word. This is a situation you didn’t see the outcome of, and so you aren’t sure how to act or what to say. There is no script or speech you can formulate. Nothing you can reference. And I very much like this ‘you’. I very much like knowing that the great, undefeated General of Quel’thalas would rather spend ten minutes describing food than look at me.” 

Sylvanas slumped visibly and toyed with a loose thread in the seam of her breeches for a moment as her brow furrowed. “You don’t understand.” It was a weak defense, but it had been an attempt. And Jaina softened in response to it. 

“Is it the pressure that you think I don’t understand?” Jaina asked softly after taking another sip of her wine. As if on cue, Sylvanas took a sip of her own instead of responding. “I understand a lot of things that you might not suspect. But I also understand that there is a good, real person in there - behind the fanfare and the perfect clothing. I know that because if there weren’t, you wouldn’t be here right now. It can be lonely at the top, can’t it?” 

The way Sylvanas looked at her then pulled at Jaina’s heart in a way that was almost painful. Gods, she knew this feeling. 

“It’s easier,” Sylvanas explained as she leaned back on one of her hands and shrugged faintly. “It’s less complicated. Don’t you find that that’s the case?” 

Jaina smiled sadly at that. “I find I have very little time to consider any options that don’t involve loneliness. I also find that I have even less trust than I have time.” 

Jaina found the almost downtrodden expression on Sylvanas’s face strange until she finally spoke.

“Listen, Jaina...last night I wasn’t trying to...I know what Pained thought she saw. I wasn’t.” 

Jaina shook her head and reached out to Sylvanas before she even knew what she was doing, though her hand fell short and just went for the collar of her shirt. “I know that.” She said firmly as Sylvanas looked down at her hand. At the way her thumb traced the laces of her shirt - before looking back up to meet Jaina’s eyes with her own. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, or perhaps because Sylvanas was simply unused to being the one to be kissed, Jaina did just that. She pressed their lips together quickly, but stayed close as she gasped quietly. She hadn’t expected that. The flash of sensation when their lips had met. It felt like...it felt like the magic that permeated this place, only softer. Warmer. 

Neither had Sylvanas expected something similar from Jaina. Each sensation was equally unfamiliar to the other woman. Jaina had never kissed someone so permeated with the Sunwell’s light, and Sylvanas had never kissed a powerful human mage. 

“I…” Jaina leaned forward breathlessly as she tried to blink her vision back into usefulness. “Was going to say something along the lines of ‘you’re here because I want you to be’.” 

Jaina didn’t even notice her hand had moved. She hadn’t noticed that she was touching one of Sylvanas’s ears until it flicked gently beneath her thumb. She only knew they were strangely...pointy? Especially considering how low they’d been hanging throughout their conversation. 

“What does this mean?” She asked unabashedly as Sylvanas lifted a hand to her own and pulled it back down gently. 

“I suppose it means I quite enjoyed being kissed by you.” Sylvanas’s voice was a low, easy murmur. 

“I see we’re back to something you’re more comfortable with,” Jaina observed as her face only flushed more deeply. 

“Perhaps.” Sylvanas glanced down between them and moved the trays of food further back on the bed when she noticed Jaina struggling for a place to put her free hand. “But let’s not pretend you probably hate being told what to do, and your escort is going to hate that you kissed me.” 

“That was hardly a real kiss, I was just...” Jaina moved to pull her hand away as embarrassment got the better of her, and she found herself shocked at the roughness of Sylvanas’s calloused fingertips as they caught her face. 

It was almost as shocking as the softness of her lips as they captured her own in what was, unequivocally, an absolutely real kiss. One that she inclined her head for. One which, after a moment, she parted her lips into. Just enough for Sylvanas to tease that she might deepen it. At least, Jaina could have sworn that she’d felt the tip of the other woman’s tongue for a split second before Sylvanas pulled back so that she was only just out of reach. 

“Tell her about that one instead, then.” Sylvanas traced the line of Jaina’s jaw, then, before she leaned away and glanced down at the wine she wasn’t sure which one of them had spilled between them. 

“That was probably me,” Jaina admitted sheepishly as she winced. “Wine stains terribly, I’m so sorry.” 

“No, it’s...it’s just a blanket, Jaina we have plenty of them.” 

“They’re wonderful bedcovers.” 

“That’s why you’re here, right?” Sylvanas asked with a faint smile. 

“...What?” Jaina looked almost appalled for a moment before she winced again and hung her head. “The trade negotiations. The cloth. Right.” 

Sylvanas laughed quietly as she blotted at the wine stain fruitlessly with one of the cloths that had been folded beneath their forgotten dinner. “Right. The negotiations.” 

With that, Sylvanas stood and placed her glass on the bedside table before heading towards the door. 

“Sylvanas, I...did you feel that? When we...” 

Sylvanas paused near the door and nodded faintly. “I did. If I don’t see you tomorrow before your departure, I look forward to seeing you again. And I truly am sorry. I hope this is a good opportunity to start over. On the right foot this time.”

“Yes. Yes, let’s start over. Please.” 

Sylvanas smiled, and it was a smile that Jaina was quite certain she hadn’t seen before. “Before or after the kiss?” 

“I don’t think I’m ready to make that decision right now.” 

“Fair enough,” Sylvanas said as she reached for the handle of Jaina’s door and paused yet again. “Can I write you? In Theramore? Would you mind that?” 

“I think continued correspondence would be very helpful in our trade endeavors.”

“Only that, then?” Sylvanas asked carefully - hiding any possible hopefulness or disappointment from her expression. 

“I think I would like to hear from the you that we talked about before. The one that doesn’t have a plan because she isn’t certain of what’s coming. Do you think she’ll be available to write to me?” 

“It seems she doesn’t have a choice. Good night, Jaina. Al diel shala.” 

“Safe travels to you as well, Sylvanas.” 

Sylvanas left the room after having been caught off guard once again. But she found she didn’t quite mind it coming from Jaina. 

If she could see herself - she’d have also found that she was smiling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pained stared around the room with her lips pressed into a flat line as she sat at Jaina’s desk while she packed her things. More than once, her attention had fallen on the wine stain on the bed. More than once, it had also shifted to the two glasses on the nearby table. 

“I’m so glad to be going home, and I don’t even know why,” Jaina remarked cheerfully as she buckled the last straps of the bag she’d been working on most recently. 

“Happy to be away from the little General, perhaps?” Pained asked hopefully with a lift of her brow. “Because at least we’re done with that. It’s been...trying.” 

“Away from her? No, I don’t think that’s it. And besides, we’ll be back in a month’s time.” 

Pained stared ahead of herself at nothing in particular and Jaina pretended she didn’t notice how utterly dejected she looked. 

“And I suppose it’s her that was here with you last night?” 

“It was. She was like an animal. Unhinged. I’ll never be able to get my robes fixed. And those fangs! Gods, if only I’d known, I might have-”

“Jaina, that isn’t funny.” Pained sounded like she was in actual physical distress, and she looked it too - when Jaina turned around so she could see her. 

“I thought it was hilarious.” 

“We’ve discovered over the course of the last few years that our senses of humor differ greatly.”

“She was a perfect gentlewoman last night,” Jaina responded in as close to an apology as Pained was likely to get. “It was lovely.” 

“I...I absolutely hate that, actually.” 

Jaina pouted slightly, and Pained sighed in response. “I just can’t believe that after we spoke, you would…” A look of distaste crossed the woman’s features, and Jaina shouldered her bag. 

“Nothing happened, Pained. We had dinner. We talked. I kissed her. That’s all.” 

“You _what_?” 

“You heard me. How is that worse than my suggesting that she ravaged me, exactly?” 

“It just _is_, now let’s go. I prefer the mud and the rain to watching a miniature elf sweep you off your feet.”

“I’m still firmly planted, thank you. But yes, let’s go. As much fun as watching you suffer is, I have about a dozen meetings to prepare for.” 

Pained gathered the rest of their belongings, but just before she began making her way towards the door, Jaina stopped her by grabbing one of the many straps slung across her shoulder. 

“I know I give you a hard time, and I’m sorry. You’re one of my closest friends. You do know that, yes?” 

Pained looked Jaina over as she nodded without hesitation. “That’s why I’m so worried. I hate that there are things I can’t protect you from.” 

“I don’t think this is one of them. Do believe me?” 

“I believe that you believe that.” Pained said in response. “I believe and trust you. But sometimes our judgment is…” 

Jaina smiled as Pained faltered on that last bit. “And it’s just as likely that yours is off than mine.” 

“Theoretically.” 

Jaina knew that that was about as much as she was ever likely to get from Pained on this subject. For now, anyway. 

Either way, it was time to push all of this to the back of her mind. 

It was time to go back to Theramore.


	7. Starting Over

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

_Lady Proudmoore _

_If you would be so gracious as to forgive any stumbling I may make in my attempts at writing you. I haven't often had cause to write letters of a more personal nature. Even less, of late - and never in Common. I do hope this one finds you well enough. As I hope it is at least passably literate._

_As much as I would like for this to be interpreted as a gift to you, I have to admit there is no small amount of selfishness in my having included a modern Thalassian primer in this parcel. I'm certain you will find that it is of much more relevance than much of what you might find beyond our borders. _

_Lirath has requested that I send his regards. It would seem he is rather fond of you. I can't say that his is a  
predicament that I don't find myself in as well. _

_If you have any questions regarding language, please do ask them. I think you would find Thalassian to be perfectly suited to things of this nature. I am finding Common to be even more unwieldy in writing than it is when spoken. There are things which just cannot be properly conveyed._

_I find myself rambling. It might be best, then, to cut this letter short and simply say that I hope to hear from you soon. _

_S. Windrunner_

Jaina hadn't realized she'd been smiling over the parchment in her hands until the unfamiliar ache in her cheeks made itself known.

As lovely as the letter was, though, she couldn't help but reach for the primer. It was such a beautifully bound little volume. Jaina recognized the quality in it from the moment she had it in her hands. The leather was lovely. The crystal that was set into the cover...flawless, though it seemed to be ornamental at best. The gliding along all three edges of its pages was cool to the touch, also. Real gold. And as she began to open it, she saw a slight change in that coloration and her eyes narrowed slightly. Curious.

She repeated the motion, only slower - until a painting came into view when she angled the edges of the pages just right. Silvermoon. In perfect relief right there in the gilded edges. 

Very few things in Jaina’s life had left her breathless. Oddly enough, this wasn't the first book that had done it, either. But, as she opened the first page and flipped past another illustration - this one of the shrike crest House Windrunner was known for - it also made her heart pound in her chest. And that was a first.

__  
~~~  
For the Lady Jaina Proudmoore  
Silvermoon Royal Press  
1 of 1  
~~~ 

She didn't know how much more she could take when, suddenly, a little folded piece of parchment fell from the pages and she placed the book down carefully to examine it.

_Jaina,_

_That's what your friends call you, right? Sylvanas would kill me if she knew I snuck this in here. The crystal on the front of this volume - take a closer look._

_You should find it an interesting challenge. Just don't tell my sister that I told you I helped her with this. She very rarely asks, and I enjoy having something to lord over her. _

_Your Friend (you're stuck with me now.)_

_Lirath_

Jaina genuinely wasn't sure how much more she could take. She wasn't used to feeling so warm for so many different reasons. 

She was glad for the distraction of the crystal when she lifted the book from her desk again. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't inert at all. It was just...interestingly tuned. It took a very specific type of energy to wake. The subtlest mixture of every discipline she knew, fed to it in such a minuscule amount it took nearly all of her control. 

He had to have been very good at reading people indeed if he knew Jaina would be capable of this. As little magic as it took, it was terribly advanced. It impressed Jaina to no end and then, suddenly, it was glowing. A gentle golden glow that seemed to spread its warmth throughout the book and between the gilded pages and the black leather, it reminded her almost fiercely of the grand Elven city she'd so recently visited. 

But...what did the crystal do?

Her brow furrowed as she slowly opened the book, and she gasped sharply when the shrike that was printed into the crest seemed to move. To regard her calmly and even incline its head before it went still. Every feather had, for a moment, been animated. 

Jaina held her breath as she continued to turn the pages.

__  
~~~  
For the Lady Jaina Proudmoore  
Silvermoon Royal Press  
1 of 1  
~~~ 

_...that we may grow to better understand each other, for I find myself wanting that more and more each day.  
_

The message faded almost as soon as she'd read it. And once it was gone, she wondered if it had even been there to begin with. But the magics woven throughout the pages reassured her that it had.

From moving examples of Elven penmanship to illustrations explaining the history of their language that came to life before her very eyes, this was one of the most stunning things she had ever seen.

It contained such creative uses of magic - magics that had, no doubt, been worked with until they could be used to _teach_ and Jaina found herself utterly overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. 

She didn't shut the book for hours. And when she finally did, she found it easy to draw the energy from the crystal that the book had needed to borrow from her in order to work the way it was intended. It had been such a small amount…she was in awe.

And she had only just now noticed how dark her room had gotten. And how chilly. She wasn't looking forward to another winter in Theramore without a good system of warming enchantments in place. But so many other things were so important… It never ended, really.

But this had been a wonderful distraction, even if she did feel somewhat guilty about spending an entire afternoon on it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Lady Sylvanas Windrunner_

_Please forgive my delayed reply. We had a storm come through here and I'm afraid it took a great deal of my time and more energy than I had to deal with it. Your gift has been a comfort and a relief to me nearly every evening since, and it warranted a response that I found myself unable to devote an appropriate amount of thought to until now._

_Perhaps after a few more letters you will find me attempting to communicate with you in the language I am desperately attempting to learn. I hope I do not butcher it too terribly. I would hate to cause offense._

_It really is a wondrous thing. I can't say that I've ever seen anything like it, and I have seen no small number of books. I know you couldn't have known, but I find them so beautiful. Even old, ragged volumes that have had their ink nearly worn off and that moths and mites have made a fine meal of. This book, however, is the finest I've seen. I will cherish it always. _

_As for your message on the pressing page, I do look forward to us reaching a better level of understanding. It's something I find myself wanting, as well. _

_Actually, if you'll forgive my being terribly forward, I find my thoughts wander to the night before my departure often. _

_I'm afraid I have no grand gifts I could send to you by way of mail. None that could compare to your book, by any stretch of the imagination. I can only hope that my writing is enough. And the knowledge that I look forward to your response very much. More than I might ever have expected._

_Jaina_

“I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.” 

That smile faded slightly as Sylvanas looked up at her mother. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re usually smiling like you just got away with something terrible.” Lireesa replied with a chuckle. 

“Oh…” Sylvanas folded the letter she’d read at least three times, now, and placed it back on her desk before she finally glanced over the parchment her mother had come to her room with. 

“This can wait.” Lireesa said as she watched her daughter frown. “I...have a feeling you’re anxious to see the Lady of Theramore again.”

“Perhaps. But it can’t wait.” Sylvanas responded, sounding distant as she glanced down at the map she’d already pulled out to look at. “If we let them any closer to the border, New Lordaeron will have more on their hands than they deserve. They signed on for Scourge, not trolls.” 

“True enough.” Lireesa remarked as she watched Sylvanas pull out another piece of paper and lay it over the map. With a few quick, decisive pencil strokes - Sylvanas had effectively plotted a course of action almost as quickly as Lireesa could comprehend what she was doing. “We’ll have to ride in two days.” Sylvanas muttered. “But we shouldn’t be gone longer than two weeks.” 

Lireesa nodded and reached out to follow the lines her daughter had made on the paper overlay with a fingertip. “I think you’re right. Well, give the orders in the morning, then. Is there any message you would like for me to give to Lady Proudmoore on your behalf if you miss her visit?” 

“Oh, I...no, no. I’ll write her. And I should be back before she leaves.” 

Lireesa watched as Sylvanas’s hand seemed to gravitate toward the letter she knew had come from Jaina, and she tilted her head slightly. “Is it serious? You and the girl?” 

Sylvanas drew her hand away from the letter and shifted her focus back to the map. “I enjoy her letters. And I miss her company. That’s all.” 

“Have dinner with me before you go.” Lireesa responded, leaning in for a quick hug before she left Sylvanas to write the letter she had a strong feeling she was quite anxious to write. 

Almost as soon as she was alone, Sylvanas took out a fresh sheet of parchment. 

_Jaina_

_I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the book. There isn’t any rush on the language-learning. It’s a beautiful language but, admittedly, a difficult one. _

_I am terribly sorry, however, to hear about your storm. I hope this letter finds you on a brighter day. _

_Regretfully, I won’t be in Silvermoon upon your arrival. I assure you that if there were an option to the contrary, I would be the first to greet you. I should return before your departure. My mother will be handling negotiations in my stead. I’ve handed over all my notes, and she’s well aware of where we left off. _

_Enough of that, though._

_I’ll have you know I only just found out about the need for my presence in the field moments after I received your last letter. You have wonderful timing, Jaina. I mean that. I’m smiling, even now._

_In regards to the last night you were here, if you will forgive my own brashness - I find my own thoughts drift frequently to the feeling of your lips upon mine. And I wonder what it would be like to run my hands freely through your hair. _

_It reminds me of the sun. _

_Stay well, Jaina. I hope to see you soon. _

_Shorel’aran, _

_Sylvanas_

As luck, or a lack thereof, would have it - Jaina didn’t receive Sylvanas’s letter until the morning she was due in Silvermoon. She couldn’t really recall the last time she felt so disappointed. Hiding it from Pained was no use, as she stored the letter in her desk and began to pack a few final items. 

“You’ve never kept anything from me before.” Pained said quietly. “So it must have to do with the one thing you feel you should keep from me.” 

Jaina frowned faintly and shook her head. “I don’t feel the need to keep it from you. I just don’t feel I’m in any mood to hear your unnecessary warnings this morning. It’s too early.” 

“She’s been writing you.” 

“I’ve been writing back.” Jaina snapped without meaning to, and winced visibly. “I’m sorry. I just have so much on my mind.” 

“I didn’t mean for that to sound accusatory, if it did. And Jaina, I’m sorry, too. I would never try to give you any more guilt or burden to carry. You have enough. I’m here if you need to talk about it. I truly am.”

“I was…” Jaina sighed and shook her head in irritation. “This is so juvenile.”

“I don’t think it is.” Pained offered quietly as she reached out to give Jaina’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. 

“I was hoping to see her.” Jaina finally admitted. “I was just hoping to see her, that’s all.” 

Pained drew in a measured breath and nodded faintly. “The letter this morning?” 

“She got called away.” Jaina explained quietly. 

“You know our type, Jaina. You’ve been around us long enough. You know when the word comes, we have to go.” 

Jaina smiled faintly and nodded. “I know.” 

“But it’s new.” Pained continued. “So if there’s something developing between you, you’re worried it will stop or even slip through your fingers if it has the chance to.” 

When Jaina sighed this time, it came out with a faint shudder. She felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. 

“I understand more than you think sometimes. If this is real - this that’s between you - it will be there despite her absence or yours.” 

Jaina swallowed thickly, and glanced up at Pained as she reached to cover her hand with her own. “Thank you for that. I know it wasn’t easy for you to say.” 

Pained snorted quietly and chuckled under her breath. “Besides, you’ll see more of her mother this way. Now that’s a woman…” 

Jaina hadn’t known how much she needed that laugh until she was shoving Pained away from herself and snorting between labored breaths. 

And gods, did she see a lot of the Lord Regent over the course of the next two weeks. It was entirely different than dealing with Sylvanas. There was no air of superiority. Lireesa didn’t need to have one. She just...kind of _was_ superior. Even the way she moved was intimidating. Somewhere between stiff and graceful in a way that spoke of years beyond imagining of fighting. 

Yet she spoke Common as though it were her first language. As Jaina would come to find out, it was only one of the five languages the woman spoke. Now this bit of information was impressive beyond imagining to Jaina. For a race of people to be so closed off, and for Lireesa to still know so much…

It took Jaina a long time to finally ask the question that had been burning in the back of her mind through each one of their meetings. In fact, she only just managed it when they were making final concessions and requests of each other. 

“Good, then.” Lireesa said as she looked over yet another of endless note pages and ledgers. “This is good. For both of us, I think. Don’t you agree, Lady Proudmoore?” 

Jaina nodded faintly and tapped the end of her quill against the table they were seated at. 

“You can speak your mind, you know.” Lireesa said with a faint smile. One that drew out the lines beside her eyes and made her look infinitely more kind. That was the last little push Jaina needed. 

“It’s hardly an appropriate question.” Jaina tried to explain dismissively. 

“A question between soon to be friends is simply the beginning of a conversation, is it not? The hard parts are out of the way, Jaina, and I think we agree upon nearly everything by now. How terrible could this question of yours possibly be?” 

“It’s only that I leave tomorrow, and I was hoping to see the Ranger-General before then. I...I was wondering if you had heard from her.” Jaina regretted asking the moment she finished speaking, but Lireesa’s smile never wavered. 

“I think she would be terribly glad to know that you’ve asked after her. She would have been back yesterday, but the unit she was accompanying had to stop at a village. My daughter doesn’t always have the best of luck, and they needed to find her a healer before her return to Silvermoon. They didn’t have one with them, unfortunately.” 

Lireesa didn’t acknowledge the sudden, utter lack of color in Jaina’s face. “I...oh, no. Oh, thats...I’m sorry to hear that, of course.” 

“She’s fine.” Lireesa’s voice was warm and suddenly, unexpectedly gentle. “She’s just fine. Tough as an old shoe. That’s a saying among your people, yes?” 

Jaina only had to force her responding smile a little bit. “It is. Sort of. I mean...it’s usually ‘boot’.” 

“I know.” Lireesa replied as she pushed herself slowly from her chair. They’d been at it for countless hours, today. She was more than ready for a reprieve. “But I wanted to ease your worries.” 

“Oh. Oh, of course.” Jaina laughed almost nervously and Lireesa nodded her head in Pained’s direction before she turned to leave. 

They sat together in silence for a long while before Pained finally spoke. “Do you think she likes me?” 

“Pained, she’s...please, I…” 

“I’m joking.” Pained said, sounding more than a little apologetic. “If their General were seriously wounded, the Lord Regent wouldn’t have come today, and she certainly wouldn’t have joked about it. Right?” 

Jaina slumped slightly in her chair and nodded. “Right. And as for her _liking_ you…” 

“I really was joking.” Pained responded with a genuinely amused laugh. “I guess we should probably get some sleep, right?” 

“Yeah. We probably should.” 

“Well...I’ll sleep, at least. And if you need anything, you know where I’ll be.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina didn’t realize she’d nodded off over her desk when she heard the knock and she jerked herself upright.

Oh, no. Was it morning already? “I’m sorry Pained, give me a moment…” 

Jaina was already making her way as quickly as she could manage to their adjoining door when she heard a quiet voice from the door the first knock had actually come from. 

“Jaina...I’m not Pained.” 

She was fairly certain her heart skipped a beat when she recognized Sylvanas’s voice from the hallway. She likely couldn’t have backtracked and reached for the correct door handle any quicker if she tried, and as soon as it was open, she paused for a beat. 

Standing there in the hallway was a very tired looking Ranger-General - arm in a sling - in travelling leathers. Even the hood of her cloak was on, covering hair that wasn’t quite perfect right now. In fact, none of her was quite perfect right now. And it was...it was a lot. It made her chest ache in a hundred new ways. 

“Your arm.” That was the first thing Jaina said - and the worried murmur was accompanied by her reaching out to touch along the edge of the sling carefully. 

“It’s okay. A dislocation. Just needs to rest a while.” Sylvanas reassured with a weak smile. “Is...is it okay if I come in? I know it’s late. It was just so important that I see you before you go in the morning.” 

“Is something wrong?”

“No.” Sylvanas leaned against the doorway and paused for a moment before reaching up to trace her fingertips along a few strands of hair that were hanging in front of Jaina’s eyes. “No, not anymore.” 

Jaina reached up quickly to run a hand through her hair when she realized she hadn’t even bothered to do that before she’d answered the door, and stepped aside to let Sylvanas in. “Come in. Come in, please. I’ve got you standing the hallway like...I don’t know. Look at you.” 

Jaina shut the door and the furrow between her brows deepened as she reached out to pick a few leaves from Sylvanas’s cloak. “Your mother said you were injured and I was just so worried. I couldn’t sleep. I...I’m just glad you’re here. Can I just. Can I hug you? I promise I’ll be careful and I’m sorry if that’s terribly inappropriate of me. I really am. But I’ve never wanted to hug someone so badly in my life.” 

Sylvanas stood in front of Jaina listening intently. Mostly, though, she just recommited the sound of her voice to memory. The voice she’d been reading her letters in. The one she just couldn’t stop thinking of. And then she leaned in and pulled her close before Jaina could even finish trying to explain the request. 

Jaina was probably a little too careful. She probably spent a little too long figuring out just how to get an arm around Sylvanas - a little too long making sure that arm was over her cloak and not underneath it. But maybe she just wanted to breathe in for another second or two. “I’ve never smelled anything like the way you do right now. Is that okay to say?” 

“I hope that’s not a bad thing.” Sylvanas said in response. Her voice was slightly raspy. And so incredibly soft, as her one good arm wrapped around Jaina’s shoulders. 

“No, gods. You smell like trees and leather and horses and...I didn’t even know the sun had a smell.” She let out a breathy little noise as she finally pulled back. But she stayed close. She wasn’t ready to let that go yet. 

Neither was Sylvanas. What Jaina was more than ready for, however, was the warmth of the hand that came to rest along the side of her face. What she was ready for was the press of Sylvanas’s lips against her own. As both expected and unexpected as the kiss was, the only part Jaina wasn’t prepared for was the quiet noise that came from Sylvanas when their tongues first brushed together.

That had almost been a whimper, hadn't it?

Jaina broke the kiss and looked Sylvanas over quickly. “I’m sorry. Your shoulder? Did I hurt you?” Jaina wasn't even sure how she managed to ask. Her mind was still reeling because no one had ever kissed her like this. No one had ever been so slow and gentle and made a moment stretch on forever and come to a too-quick halt all at once. 

“I missed you.” Sylvanas said quickly. The words were so terrifying. So foreign, as they came out of her mouth. “I don’t know why. I haven’t ever...but your letters, and that night, and your laugh and your smile and can’t help it. Knowing you were here while I was out there every single night...it’s never been like that. Ever.” 

Jaina was beyond stunned as she listened. She would never have guessed in a million years that she would have had this kind of effect on someone like her. Or, more specifically, just _her_. 

“I thought I was losing my mind. I'd even begun to miss your cockiness.” Jaina glanced up Sylvanas’s ears as they drooped slightly, and continued quickly. “I don't miss it right now. I'm so incredibly glad to have you here, however you are. I can't explain why, I just am.” 

“It's good to hear you say that.” Sylvanas looked down at Jaina’s hand then, where it hung at her side, and reached to graze her fingertips along the side of it until Jaina hooked their fingers together gradually. 

“You look exhausted.” Jaina remarked in a quiet, careful tone as she hoped Sylvanas wouldn't take that as a slight.

“I rode all evening to get here. As soon as the village healer saw to my shoulder.”

Jaina nodded her understanding and, rather nervously, turned to lead Sylvanas towards the bed. Sylvanas pulled herself up onto it carefully and, as she reached with one hand to remove her boots for fear of getting it dirty - Jaina stopped her. “Can I help you?”

Sylvanas hesitated for just a moment before she relaxed slightly and nodded. It was so strangely intimate to watch Jaina slide her boots from her legs and place them aside. She would never have imagined such a sight just a few short weeks ago. Nor would she imagine this confident, outspoken woman nervously moving to sit on the bed next to her - slowly turning her attention to her and reaching for the hood of her cloak. 

She stayed absolutely still for Jaina as she carefully pulled it back - paying special attention to the slits in the hood sliding along her ears until they were free. 

“What happened to your arm?” She asked as curiosity finally got the better of her.

“I was scaling a rock face for a better vantage point and my handhold gave way. I caught myself wrong and I was slipping too fast.”

“Does it hurt?” 

Any other time, Sylvanas might have lied. Her usual swagger might have carried her voice into some confident statement about pain and being used to it, but as Jaina lay there looking so strangely vulnerable, she just nodded faintly. “A little. Sore, that's all.” 

“I've seen people die on battlefields, and still - the thought of you getting hurt is strangely unbearable to me.” Jaina turned away and pulled her hand back just as she'd been about to stroke through Sylvanas’s hair. It didn't have its usual sheen. And it only made the way Jaina felt become that much more intensely confusing. 

“I don't get hurt often anymore, if that's any consolation. You're...nervous. For me to be here? Would you like for me to go?” 

“Please don't. That's absolutely not what I want, it's just...I don't know what we're doing here.”

“I don't like that feeling, either. The not knowing. I work in absolutes and definites and surety.”

Jaina glanced up to find Sylvanas looking at her in a way she wasn't entirely certain she'd ever been looked at before. 

“Would you lay with me? Just lay with me for a while?” 

“You rode all night with your arm in a sling to lay with me?” Jaina asked quietly as Sylvanas drew one of her legs up onto the bed so she could look at her more easily.

“I was hoping, yes.” Sylvanas admitted. Perhaps more to herself than to Jaina. 

Jaina knew Sylvanas had likely had none too few...partners. Just by looking at her, you could surmise that. From the way she carried herself to the ease with which she slipped into less formal conversation. She wasn't hurting for attention. She couldn't be. 

Yet, here she was. Asking for Jaina to lay down with her. Only touching her when she needed to steady herself with her one still-functional arm until she was on her back and Jaina was on her side looking at her. 

“Something is on your mind.” Sylvanas observed as she adjusted herself when Jaina tucked her arms between them. She found herself strangely concerned that Jaina have whatever space she needed, even if, in reality, the last thing Jaina wanted was space.

“You said my hair reminded you of the sun.”

“I let my emotions carry my pen across my parchment and the result was cloying and awful and you should never have been subjected to that.”

“I think it was one of the most wonderful things I've ever read.”

Sylvanas swallowed in a way that made her slender throat shift and Jaina laughed quietly when she turned her head and her ear got trapped for a moment between the pillow and her face in a way that had to have been uncomfortable. “What's funny?” 

“Your ears sometimes. The things they do. I think they're fascinating. I think they're lovely. Perhaps the same way you think of my hair.” 

“You would think I would be used to blonde hair, wouldn't you?” Sylvanas asked - her voice a murmur as she reached out and traced along a Jaina's hairline with just the backs of her fingertips. “But it's different, isn't it? Like clover honey. Like nothing I've ever seen...and yet, something you might miss if you weren't paying very close attention. And what a shame it would be to miss you.” Her fingertips shifted. Curled as she drew that touch down along Jaina’s cheek. And it became clear she was no longer talking about hair. 

“You haven't. Missed me, I mean.” Jaina tried to keep her voice steady when she said that. It was one thing to hold her own in a council chamber. It was another thing entirely to do...this. Whatever ‘this’ was. 

Sylvanas internally cursed her inability to turn on her side as she finally threaded her fingers into Jaina’s hair and found it had very much been worth her constant pondering. “I came quite close. I was just lucky you were gracious enough to give me another chance.” 

Jaina’s eyelids fluttered at the feeling of Sylvanas’s fingertips grazing gently along her scalp, and she sighed out her appreciation. It had been so long. It had been too long. If she'd ever even been touched so gently...and she was almost certain she hadn't. “Before.”

“Hm?”

“I've decided I'd like to start over from the moment just before we kissed that night. I think that's where I would like to start over from.” 

Sylvanas has forgotten she'd even asked Jaina that. But she was overjoyed, suddenly. So much so that she was smiling broadly as Jaina leaned in to kiss her more quickly than she could recover. 

So she made up for it. She guided Jaina’s hair from her face to hold it softly against the nape of her neck as she pulled Jaina back enough to look in her eyes. “From there, then.” She finally agreed aloud as she stroked slowly behind Jaina's ear in a way that had Jaina only just managing to suppress a shiver. “Try again.”

Jaina smiled sheepishly for a moment before leaning back in - more carefully this time. This kiss was just a little different than the others had been. It felt almost like Sylvanas was trying to show her something. In the way she traced Jaina's teeth lightly with her tongue and, just before she pulled away, caught her lower lip between her teeth. 

That was the biggest difference. The way Sylvanas’s fangs grazed her lip just so. Just enough that she felt them. The differences between them. Subtle, but there. So, so there. And in that kiss, she felt just how controlled Sylvanas was. How careful she could - and would be with her. 

“Lay closer to me this time.” Sylvanas whispered so close to her Jaina could feel her breath on her lips. 

It wasn't an offer Jaina had any intention of refusing. As soon as she lifted herself to move, Sylvanas was shifting to meet her so that her head was on the Elven woman's arm - an arm positioned just so. So that Sylvanas could stroke idly through her hair.

They slept. Some. But Sylvanas didn't mind the few times Jaina woke up just to touch her. Usually just a hand coming to rest against her side - feeling the soft leather there and the hard body beneath it. 

At some point, she must have drifted more deeply, because when she woke - Sylvanas was gone. In her place, a note.

_Your escort will wake soon. Know that I enjoyed our evening together, and that I will keep it close to my heart always. But I would not give away knowledge that isn't mine to give away, and I would not compromise you to anyone. No matter how irritating they might be or how pleasant the look on their face might have been had they seen you in my arms._

_You will continue to be the first thing I think of when I wake each day until such time as I might know what it is like to wake next to you. Until I see the ocean’s blue chasing the sleep away from your eyes, and the Sun shining its envy of you upon the gold of your hair. _

_Sylvanas_


	8. Expected Visitors

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“Mother? May I come in?” Sylvanas usually wasn't quite so reserved. She didn't usually stand nervously in her mother’s sitting room busying herself with looking at a large, beautifully drawn map that was hung on the wall. But Liadrin was here. She'd seen the woman's boots at the door - left there to be sent to the armorers for repair, no doubt. 

Lireesa glanced over at Liadrin, who was already looking back at her from her side of the bed with a soft, understanding smile. The younger woman leaned over to press a gentle kiss to the side of Lireesa's mouth. “Soon. Go see what she’s done, now.” She whispered. 

Lireesa returned that smile with all the warmth in the world and touched her forehead to Liadrin’s before she was gone - moving across the room to quickly retrieve her robe.

“Give us a moment, dear,” Lireesa called back as Liadrin tied her own robe before handing Lireesa hers.

“I’ll go make certain Valeera doesn’t turn this into a different conversation entirely when she’s out of the bath,” Liadrin said as she helped her wife on with her robe and was pulled into another quick, easy kiss. 

“I'll join the two of you soon.” 

“I look forward to it,” Liadrin said as she made her way over towards the bathroom and Lireesa left to join her daughter in the sitting room. 

“Mother.” Sylvanas greeted with a faint nod and an even fainted smile. 

“Sylvanas,” Lireesa responded, walking towards her to pull her close with a hand on her shoulder. “Your injury?”

“Just fine. The healers checked me out this morning.” Sylvanas let herself be pulled into the tight hug her mother offered, and then followed her to the corner of a room where a wine decanter was waiting on a small table with only enough seating for two. 

“Tell me, what brings you here this evening? Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course. I always am.”

“I'm sorry to have interrupted your night. I hadn't realized Liadrin was back, also.”

“Never mind that,” Lireesa said dismissively, passing Sylvanas a glass-half-full of wine and getting comfortable in the chair she had chosen. The one closest to the fireplace. 

“I wanted to speak with you about Lady Proudmoore. And about Theramore.” 

“I thought you might eventually. Did you know that she asked about you during our last talk? I've never seen the color drain from someone's face as quickly as hers when I told her you were returning with an injury…”

Sylvanas’s ears perked and then drooped all at once as her face flushed deeply and she looked down into the glass she was holding. 

“I'm your mother, Sylvanas. Not only that, but I have eyes and can see. This isn't one of your flings is it?”

“Mother, we haven't...I haven't…” 

“Oh, dear.” Lireesa leaned back in her chair. “And here I feared having to discuss the humans’ customs and sensibilities with you. I had no idea you had developed your own.” 

“She's very different. That's all. I don't need to know about their customs to see that. And it doesn't feel like something that ought to be rushed…but do you know much? About their customs, I mean?”

Lireesa laughed. A quiet, warm laugh that Sylvanas didn't mind at all. 

“Would you first tell me of the nature of our trade arrangements need to be shifted into arrangements of another nature? This is no Silvermoon mage or priestess or whoever you usually fancy. She is a Lady of a rather prominent human House, though I do believe they are currently at odds. More importantly, she is the leader of a free state. And if what my sources tell me is true, Theramore will be something to be reckoned with in years to come.”

“I'm not certain I understand what you're getting at, Mother.”

“Do you not?” Lireesa asked with a lift of one of her brows. “What I am getting at, Sylvanas is that if you mean to court her - you will not only be courting her. You will be courting a name, a title, and a nation. You would be courting a bloodline. As would she. There is gravity to this situation, and it ought not be taken lightly.” 

“It isn't that serious,” Sylvanas said quickly, though she wasn't entirely sure who she was trying to convince.

“Isn't it? Then what about Theramore did you come here to ask?”

Sylvanas was studying her wine glass again, now. Her hesitation was louder, even than her response. “I came to request a state visit to Theramore be arranged in advance of the closing of our trade negotiations, and that I head the visit.” 

Lireesa was quiet for a moment as Sylvanas’s words sank in. For both of them. She chose her next ones carefully.

“I would be happy to send you to Theramore, but I do ask that you show the discretion I know you are more than capable of showing. It would be...ill-advised for it to be found out that the two of you are involved on a personal level without a formal announcement of intent.”

Sylvanas nodded weakly, and Lireesa reached out to cover her hand with her own. “You do know that I wish nothing but happiness and contentment for you. But when happiness is at risk of political implications, we must tread carefully. Now, as far as their customs, they are not quite as...open as we are. I have no doubt this is due to their lifespan. They simply don't have time for the things that we have time for.”

“You're referring to their romantic involvements.” Sylvanas hazarded the guess, and Lireesa nodded.

“For instance, I don't believe the arrangements we tend to have with our partners would work in the same way, if at all. Have you considered that?”

“No,” Sylvanas admitted quietly. “Perhaps because I've only thought of her, and I've never experienced that before.” 

Lireesa hadn't been expecting that, really, and she took a sip from her glass to rearrange her thoughts. “I support you, Sylvanas. And I love you with the entirety of my heart. Make your visit. Consider every possible outcome. Know her more deeply. I should think three weeks or so might be appropriate, taking all things into consideration.”

Sylvanas finished off her wine and placed her empty glass aside, already moving to stand when Lireesa continued.

“Alleria will accompany you. Choose the rest of your envoy and send the list when you have. We need to make sure they are properly outfitted if they aren't already.” 

Sylvanas could tell by her mother’s tone that there would be no getting out of having her sister along for the trip. That didn’t make her any less appreciative as she gave Lireesa a quick hug and dismissed herself. Nor did it stop her from pausing at the door and looking back at her. 

“Get back to your activities. Tell Liadrin I’m sorry for the interruption.” 

“Imp,” Lireesa responded with a smirk. “Out with you. I think I will get back to my ‘activities’. Would you like me to give Valeera your regards as well?”

Sylvanas looked back again, and Lireesa chuckled at the way her brow lifted. “Of course. But tell her if she breaks my mother’s hip, she’ll have me to answer to.” 

“Liadrin will take care of my hips if need be,” Lireesa responded in an entirely too unaffected tone as she stood and retreated towards her bedroom. 

Lireesa didn’t miss the heavy sigh her daughter gave her as she shut the door, only to pause as she looked to their bed to find Valeera in Liadrin’s lap. 

Valeera looked over towards the woman when she heard the door shut, but Liadrin held her close as she seemed to be about to move away. 

“Don’t stop on my account,” Lireesa said with a faint smile. “That was a rather pleasant sight to walk in to.” 

“I told you.” Liadrin murmured reassuringly as Valeera settled back against her. “Don’t worry so much.”

“I’m not worried,” Valeera replied as Lireesa made her way towards the bed. She left her robe on and moved to settle herself comfortably on the side that was currently unoccupied. “I just don’t want to overstep.” 

“Overstep?” Lireesa asked before Liadrin could even think of a reply. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’m only glad to finally have you here.” 

Liadrin’s gaze was almost smoldering as she looked up at Valeera while her wife spoke next to them. 

“The two of you are devastating.” Lireesa continued. “It will be such a pleasure to see what you do for each other.” 

“And you?” Valeera asked as Liadrin dragged her hips closer in a way that made her gasp. 

Lireesa chuckled warmly. “More than content to watch for now.” 

Liadrin leaned up just enough to brush her lips against the underside of Valeera’s jaw. “Give her a show.” She murmured before nipping gently at Valeera’s skin. “I bet she’d like to see you come. I know I would.” 

Valeera shuddered and nodded as she touched along the back of Liadrin’s neck. 

“Lay down for her, darling.” Lireesa’s voice was low and slightly raspy as she reached out to touch over Liadrin’s shoulder. “She’d be so pretty riding your face.” 

Liadrin let out a breathy sound that Valeera couldn’t remember ever having heard before. All she knew was she liked it. A lot. And her attention shifted for a moment to Lireesa as Liadrin moved to slide herself down the bed. 

She found herself caught in the grey-green glow of Lireesa’s eyes. Valeera had always found herself attracted to the power Liadrin had. Not politically. She had little concern for that. Just...everything else. Physical and emotional power. Intangible power. 

And Lireesa exuded that. Even laying there reclined against the headboard in her robe, she was the image of absolute control. From the steel grey of her hair to her scarred ears set proudly and easily - arching upwards slightly in the only hint that she was actually deeply interested in what they were doing. That, and the slow, easy smile that spread across her face when Liadrin was settled where she needed to be.

Liadrin had no qualms with stroking her hands along the backs of Valeera’s thighs and gripping her ass to pull her closer, yet Lireesa cut her off rather quickly. 

“I’ll tell her what I want to see.” 

The sharp way Liadrin’s chest rose told both Lireesa and Valeera that this prospect was rather intriguing to her, to say the least. 

“Put your hand in her hair, Valeera. Take it down and put your hand in it. You’d be surprised how long she can hold her breath...lower yourself. Slowly.” 

Valeera’s stomach and thighs were tense as she did just that, and her fingertips trembled slightly as she threaded her hand into Liadrin’s hair to draw her face up at the same time. Liadrin had always been good at this...but it was different this time. Perhaps because Liadrin wanted to taste her so badly, yet it was Lireesa who had control of that. Perhaps because she didn’t have to look over to feel the Regent Lord’s eyes on them. 

The moment she finally sank down against the velvet heat of Liadrin’s waiting mouth, she nearly came. Perhaps sensing this, Liadrin went slow at first. It all started with a trembling exhale through her nose before soft skin pressed into that, too and cut off her breath. Liadrin’s eyes fell shut then and she moaned softly when her tongue first found Valeera’s clit. A moan that felt as though it reverberated through Valeera’s entire body. 

It was a pretty sight, to say the least. The way Valeera’s hips rolled and Liadrin’s shifted every so often, despite the lack of any physical stimulation. 

Lireesa moved closer. Just enough to reach out and stroke along one of Liadrin’s thighs. She let out a pleased murmur as it shifted closer to her - spreading to ask for the attention her mouth was too busy to request. 

“Fuck her mouth, Valeera,” Lireesa whispered as she trailed her fingertips between Liadrin’s legs. “You want her to don’t you, Liadrin? You want to be a fucking mess when she’s done.” 

Liadrin’s responding moan caused Valeera’s hips to jerk. 

“Mhm. She has such a lovely mouth, doesn’t she?” 

Valeera cast a glance in Lireesa’s direction and her eyes were lidded heavily as she licked her lips to wet them. 

“Use it. She doesn’t mind.” 

It was then that Lireesa sank two of her fingers into Liadrin as deep as they would go. The curling of her fingers was firm and her positioning was exquisite - allowing her fingertips to stay right where they needed to be, and her thumb to draw quick, easy circles against Liadrin’s clit. 

Between the unhinged moans, Liadrin had no hope of withholding and the way she sucked and licked at her so desperately, Valeera found herself spilling over the edge in a way that was almost violent. She was pulling away from Liadrin’s mouth and collapsing over her and Liadrin didn’t mind. It allowed her to tug Valeera close and dig her nails into her slender back as Lireesa drove her towards her own orgasm almost effortlessly. 

In their shared haze, Valeera didn’t really notice Lireesa moving towards them until she lifted her head and watched Lireesa’s slick fingertips tracing Liadrin’s lips - mixing the evidence of Liadrin’s orgasm with the still-glistening wetness already on her mouth until Liadrin parted her lips and bit down gently on the tip of one of her fingers. 

“Oh, it’s like that?” Lireesa asked in a whisper that Liadrin responded to with a small, sated smile. 

Valeera’s eyes nearly rolled back in response to the exchange. Instead, she shook her head and cursed quietly as she buried her face against Liadrin’s chest. 

“Shall I leave the two of you alone?” Lireesa asked - sounding utterly unbothered by the prospect. 

“Fuck, no,” Valeera replied with no hesitation - her response muffled against the warmth of Liadrin’s flushed skin. “Absolutely not.” 

“Did you like that?” Liadrin asked in a whisper against Valeera’s ear. 

Valeera nodded. 

“I’m gonna make her come.” She continued, and she could have sworn Valeera whimpered softly in response. “You wanna see me make her come?” 

Valeera nodded again. 

Lireesa looked more than a little pleased at the prospect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It wasn’t my idea.”

Alleria stared up at Sylvanas from the couch she was situated on and pursed her lips. “Of course it wasn’t your idea to have your big sister along on your sexcapade, and yet here we are.” 

Sylvanas had both expected and not expected to find Alleria waiting for her when she got back to her rooms. She'd been waiting for it, really. She still wasn't necessarily prepared. You couldn't really prepare yourself for Alleria Windrunner.

“First and foremost, that is absolutely not what this is.” Sylvanas narrowed her eyes, yet she still plopped down on the opposite end of the couch Alleria had been sitting on when she’d shown up to her rooms to find her here, no doubt summoned by their mother from the field. 

“Isn’t it?” Alleria asked as she lowered the tip of the pipe she’d been nursing and offered it to Sylvanas, who shook her head faintly in response. “Boring.” 

“I need a clear head, Alleria. I’m organizing a state visit. Please. And no, it’s not. You have to be having sex for something to count as a sexcapade.” 

“Holy shit, you aren’t fucking her?” 

The utter shock on Sylvanas’s face and the way her ears pressed back against her skull were almost enough to make Alleria double over. Somehow, though, she held it together. 

“Who are you and what, exactly, have you done with my sister? I could have followed the trail of broken hearts to find you not six months ago.” 

“I don’t break hearts. Don’t start that.” Sylvanas grated out through her teeth as she pulled her legs up onto the couch beneath herself. 

“No more than I do, anyway. So what’s changed since I was here last? The last time I saw you, you wanted nothing to do with her - now, suddenly, you’re scheduling visits. You’ve been outside of Quel’Thalas what, three times in your entire life? And now you want to go to another continent in the middle of winter. For a woman, no less. And don’t tell me it’s not for a woman. You know damn well we don’t need to go there to finalize whatever arrangements we’ve made.” 

Sylvanas was quiet for a while as she thought that over. As brash as her sister could be, she was rarely wrong when she actually had something to say. “I guess it’s just never been this way for me before. There’s something about her that I can’t get out of my head. I haven’t even been with anyone since I met her.”

“You’re going to wither away…”

“Alleria, please. This is serious.” 

“Obviously. I was also being serious. The two of you aren’t even involved in any official capacity, and you aren’t up to your usual extracurriculars? Talk to me. Seriously. I’ve been around a while, Syl. Maybe I have some insight.” 

“I just…” Sylvanas trailed off and looked more than a little helpless for a minute before her head fell back against the sofa and she was staring at the ceiling. “I’m fucked. It’s like I don’t even want to look at anyone else. Wake up, think about her. Go to bed, wish she was there.” 

“You’ve experienced that with her, then? Sounds more like a memory than a wish.” 

“I...once. When I left the unit to come back to Silvermoon. She was leaving the next morning.” 

Alleria leaned forward to place her pipe on Sylvanas’s table when she realized it had gone out anyway, and scooted closer to her sister to work an arm around her shoulder. Something Sylvanas stiffened for a moment in response to before she finally relaxed. 

“There you go, kid. Listen, I need you to know that it’s taking every ounce of willpower I have not to give you hell for riding all that way for someone you aren’t even sleeping with. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s tackle the real issue. What you’re experiencing is feelings. You have feelings for someone. I’ve never seen you have that before, but I’m glad as hell for you. And I’m glad I’m going to Theramore with you so that we can freeze to death together.” 

“It’s not gonna be that bad, Alleria.” 

“Uhhuh. You haven’t spent as much time outside our borders as I have, but you’ll see. Ah, well. Maybe you can get that mage to keep you warm.” 

“That would be nice.” 

Alleria cut her eyes in Sylvanas’s direction and lifted a brow as she choked a little noise back in her throat. “I’m still not entirely sure you’re my sister.”

“Get off me.” 

And she did, but not by choice. It took her a minute to catch herself in response to the strong shove Sylvanas delivered to her side. 

“Maybe you are.” Alleria had never sounded quite so haughty. 

And Sylvanas had really needed that laugh.


	9. Secrets Kept

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

_Sylvanas -_

_I know that you’ll be here in just a few short days. I also know you might find this letter to be a bit unnecessary as a result. I hope that you don’t, of course. _

_I have no real reason to write you. I have no discussions of policy or politics to hide behind. _

_I merely find myself sorely missing your company. More specifically, I miss the stolen moments we’ve shared. My mind wanders, now, more often than not - to the sound of your even breathing and the warmth of you next to me. _

_To your shoulder, as well. I do hope you’ve recovered. Not for selfish reasons, I assure you. And I hope that your ride to see me before I left didn’t cause any lasting damage. That said, I’m terribly glad that you made that journey. _

_There are certain things that I am, admittedly, unaccustomed to. Your gentleness is something I’ve never experienced. The softness beneath everything that you’re expected to put on display for everyone around you. _

_Those are the things that I miss most. And it would be remiss of me to not mention your eyes and the way you looked at me that night. Like I was worth every mile of that ride you took. A ride that you expected nothing in return for, in the end. _

_I long to see you again. I long for more of those moments - stolen, or otherwise. _

_Perhaps I just long for you. _

_Al diel shala._

_Jaina_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Jaina -_

_As hard as you may find this to believe, conventional words occasionally fail me. I hope you don't find what I've included in this letter in any way off putting. That is, I can assure you, the opposite of what I intend for it to be._

_I've not had cause to pen any such writings in this tongue. Perhaps by the time I have a few moments to myself again, you will have consumed my language the way you have consumed my thoughts and I will try again. _

_Until next we meet,_

_Sylvanas_

__  
My lady, thief of moments rare  
Giver of smiles rarer still  
To whom my intent I now lay bare  
lest I lose my trembling will 

_Oft I dream of seas_  
in eyes of warmest blue  
And of touches soft that fall like leaves  
of gold upon my skin 

_Secrets told with tips of fingers_  
cautious, quiet, and true  
In what you cannot say  
and in what you do 

_In your leaving I am lost_  
and find my compass yearns anew  
More seas than I my heart has crossed  
for I fear it left with you 

__  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you pack your furs?” Alleria asked dryly as she took her place next to her sister with a few of their chosen officers behind them.

“It can’t be that bad,” Sylvanas responded, hiding enough nervousness from her voice that their envoy wouldn’t pick up on it. But Alleria did, and she smirked faintly. 

Sylvanas sighed. “Yes. I packed heavy clothing. And we’re well outfitted already.” 

That was true enough. They were all wearing what constituted nothing short of heavy regalia. There wasn’t an article of clothing on them not gilded or embroidered, and each of them were much more covered than they were necessarily used to. 

Sylvanas wasn’t concerned about the weather, though. Not yet, anyway. She was much more concerned with just...seeing Jaina again. 

It was Lirath that opened their portal. One woven with unnecessary opulence. Large enough for them to pass through in formation. Large enough that the grand courtyard of Silvermoon could be seen beyond.

The gathering of Theramore’s welcome party on the other side was treated to the sight of the edges of it fading away into shapes of fluttering leaves instead of crackling energies, so controlled and practiced Lorath’s magic was. 

Jaina, at the head of the gathering on her own side, had her breath stolen at the sight of it all. From the confounding portal work to the squadron of elves all adorned in black and gold with dark, heavy hoods lined with shimmering filigree and exposed ears adorned with the finest jewelry.

They stepped forward in time, but it wasn't a march. Their steps were silent upon the earth and the only sound that came in unison was the shifting of their armor. 

Sylvanas was a step ahead of the rest, with Alleria behind and to her right and the others grouped further back.

The portal closed in little sparks of shimmering gold, and Sylvanas was the first to bow as Jaina stepped forward and extended her hand. As tempted as she was to bring it to her lips, the Ranger-General merely clasped it and then let go as she righted herself.

“Ranger-General.” Jaina greeted with considerably steadier strength in her voice than she had in her fluttering stomach. She was dressed in her finest, and it was certainly nothing to scoff at. From the high-collared cape that was clasped at her throat by the crest of Theramore to the resplendent robes beneath that looked almost out of place in the overcast dampness of the courtyard, she was every bit the Lady of Theramore. The hood of her cape, however, was pushed back to allow the golden waves of her hair to hang free. 

“Lady Jaina.” Sylvanas returned in kind after chasing her own stolen breath for a moment and glancing around at the crowd that had gathered to witness their arrival. 

“I wanted to be the one to personally welcome your entourage to Theramore. And to make it clear that you are all honored guests of our nation. Of our home. That we extend its every comfort to you for the entirety of your stay.” 

Sylvanas smiled warmly and turned to the side for the woman approaching from the back of their ranks carrying leather packs that looked to be almost too full. 

“Silk,” Sylvanas explained simply. “Silk enough to keep Theramore’s tailors busy for quite some time. A gift from my kingdom to yours. It is my hope that they will find the golden thread that's been included pleasing.” 

Perhaps for the first time, Jaina realized that all the detailing in the clothing she'd seen on her visit hadn't been dyed. Of course, they'd learned how to spin thread from gold. Of course, they had.

“A generous gift that we are more than happy to accept.” Even as Jaina spoke, a few of her men moved forward to relieve the elven women of their burden. 

The chill was biting. For all of them. Yet, even as their ears began to ache faintly, they all stood firm until Jaina finally began to turn towards the main Keep. “Come, please. In out of the cold. Pained will be happy to escort your officers. I've had a more private room prepared for yourself and Lady Alleria. Forgive the sharing of rooms. We are a work in progress, after all.” 

“It's no trouble at all. We're more than grateful for any and all accommodations you will provide.” 

Sylvanas walked at Jaina’s side with Alleria when their groups split. It was everything she could do to stop herself shivering. The cold was already maddeningly distracting on top of the sudden, utter loss of the Sunwell the moment the portal closed.

Yet she listened intently as Jaina gave them a small tour of the main keep. She smiled and nodded and did her best to keep things as formal as was proper while she wondered, in the back of her mind, if Jaina had gotten her last letter. If it had been too much, too quickly. 

Theramore was no Silvermoon. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But Sylvanas found herself both surprised and impressed at what these survivors had managed to build. It was a city. It was absolutely that. With infrastructure and planning and every person they passed seem to have a warm smile waiting for Jaina. 

Perhaps that was what impressed Sylvanas the most. These people’s clear respect and appreciation for their leader. How it won out over their curiosity for the over-adorned elves accompanying her. 

And how Jaina occasionally stopped to give one of them her undivided attention whenever it was needed.

At least it was warmer in these halls. No doubt from the few fires that burned in various hearths beyond closed, and sometimes opened doors. 

They got to the room assigned to the two sisters more quickly than Sylvanas had prepared to, and as Alleria showed herself in and complimented the tray of food that had been left here for them, Sylvanas faltered and glanced between Jaina and her sister.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Jaina,” Sylvanas said with a faint smile, and just a bit of hope and question in her eyes.

“It is nothing compared to what your people showed to me. Please, you owe me no thanks.” It was Jaina’s turn to pause, then, as Alleria busied herself with something that likely didn't require her attention, at all.

“Would...would you be available for a short while before dinner in the main hall? Or would you prefer to get settled in and properly warmed?”

Jains didn't notice the way one of Alleria’s ears had shifted in their direction.

“Sylvanas, I can unpack our things and get the fire going. I'm not in the mood to share these snacks with you, anyway. I'm starving.” 

When Sylvanas turned to look at her sister, she narrowed her eyes slightly only to find Alleria already unpacking her bag. 

“What's this?” Alleria asked with furrowed brows as she held up a cloth-wrapped bundle, only for Sylvanas to dash over and take it from her.

“I'll be back before dinner.”

“Uhhuh.”

Jaina couldn't help but be amused at the sisters’ back-and-forth, but she wasn't in any way disappointed when she finally found herself alone in the hall with Sylvanas. 

And silence that was oddly loud. This is all either of them had thought about for so long. This aloneness. But the various voices that carried through the corridors let them know they hadn't gotten there just yet.

“More gifts?” Jaina asked with a little half smile as she gestured for Sylvanas to walk with her and began leading them towards the wing of the keep her rooms were in. 

“This one is for you,” Sylvanas explained quietly. “To be opened away from prying eyes and listening ears.”

Jaina swallowed and nodded her understanding, and Sylvanas continued putting every ounce of effort she had into not simply reaching for Jaina's hand and for the reassurance she needed, not knowing just how badly Jaina needed it, too. 

Until, finally, they were shut behind a door in a sitting room lined with half-filled bookshelves and...well, whatever else was here - Sylvanas didn't know. She was too busy catching Jaina in her arms when the mage threw her own around her armored shoulders to hook around the back of her neck.

It took a moment for them to remember just how this went. It took a moment for Sylvanas to breathe in the scent of Jaina’s hair as the mage’s warm breaths found the side of her neck. 

“I thought I might die if I never had this again,” Jaina admitted as a furrow formed between Sylvanas’s elegant brows. But she merely held Jaina closer - cradling the back of her head in her gloved hand and nodding faintly in understanding. “That's ridiculous. I know. Gods, I know, but…”

“It isn't. It...perhaps it is, yes. But I've felt the same way since the moment I left you in that room.” Sylvanas’s voice was quiet and reassuring. Almost as reassuring as the fact that she seemed about as inclined to pull away from their embrace as Jaina did. 

Until she moved her head slowly and caught Jaina’s chin gently with her hand. The leather of Sylvanas’s glove was so soft against her skin as her head was lifted and her eyes met the vivid green of the General’s. 

“I can't say that I've ever missed someone before who wasn't my family,” Sylvanas admitted quietly as her fingertips shifted slowly until her hand was splayed along Jaina’s jaw and the side of her neck. “I missed you so terribly.”

Jaina found herself wishing Sylvanas’s armor wasn't quite so involved and heavy, that there could be even less space between them. She didn't even know why. She didn't even realize how badly she'd wanted to be kissed until Sylvanas was kissing her in that way that only she ever had. A way that was so soft and slow it almost hurt. 

Jaina exhaled quietly and slid her hands down gilded pauldrons to circle around Sylvanas’s back beneath her cloak. There was precious little skin exposed to touch - but Jaina found it all the same. The barest hint of the nape of Sylvanas's neck above her undershirt. 

Despite the sudden, sharp exhale this drew from Sylvanas, she didn't deepen the kiss. She merely leaned back against the door and pulled Jaina with her without really trying. It was then that a simple kiss became slightly more, and Jaina found Sylvanas almost toying with her, though not cruelly.

No, there was nothing cruel about the way Sylvanas dragged her lower lip along the Cupid's bow of Jaina’s upper one so slowly that a quiet sound that Jaina had never even heard herself make slipped out between them and caused Sylvanas’s ears to shift forward - perhaps to better hear or, or perhaps just because she'd liked it. 

But it was both, really. And as Sylvanas’s eyes opened just enough to see the flush in Jaina’s cheeks, Jaina bravely lifted her hands towards her hood to pull it away from her face. 

Sylvanas appreciated the care Jaina showed in that moment, and smiled softly when she paused at her ears and touched one of them with the side of her thumb. A curious little graze, and nothing more. Sylvanas lowered her ears, then, and Jaina guided the slits sewn into the hood along the lengths of them until they were free.

“You look like something from a book,” Jaina observed as she threaded her fingers through the General’s platinum hair to watch the way the firelight in the room caught it and made it shimmer. “Too perfect to be true.” 

“I'm not perfect,” Sylvanas whispered as she ran the pad of her thumb across Jaina’s lower lip and then cradled her cheek. She could feel how warm it was even through her glove. “But that's a secret. Will you keep it for me?”

Jaina laughed weakly. More of a breathy exhale, but the way her lips curved told Sylvanas what it was meant to be. “Yes. I'll keep your secret when there is one to be kept.” 

Silence fell over them as Jaina stood there in her arms, and Sylvanas knew she should go. She knew there was a banquet to prepare for. And still, she tilted her head until her lips touched Jaina’s with every word she spoke. “I could stand here and drink you in for the rest of my days, Lady Proudmoore. You are more dangerous than you know.” 

“Am I?” Jaina asked, unable to do much about the slight tremor in her voice when Sylvanas shifted just enough that one of her thighs could have easily parted her legs, but didn't. 

“You've cast a spell on me, I'm sure of it.” Sylvanas’s soft, maddening smile returned, then. But Jaina couldn't see it. She could only feel it press into her cheek. “We have a banquet to ready ourselves for.” 

Jaina didn't want to give this up. Whatever this was. Whatever it _almost_ was. And Sylvanas knew it. 

Only, Jaina hadn't realized how much longing would be staring back at her in those glowing eyes when she managed to step back. She hadn't realized how the slight fall of the General’s proud, delicate ears would hit her like a stone wall. 

“Yes. Yes, of course.” Jaina said after clearing her throat in an attempt to regain some semblance of composure.

Sylvanas held out the bundle she’d carried with her, then, and Jaina realized she'd forgotten about it, entirely. She took it gingerly and glanced at Sylvanas who nodded her encouragement, and opened it to reveal a folded garment of the finest black silk she'd ever seen.

“You mentioned your appreciation of our textiles more than once if I can recall,” Sylvanas explained as Jaina slowly held it up until it unfurled time reveal embellishments along the edges in thread Jaina now understood to be gold. “It feels even better than it looks. I hope you enjoy it.”

Jaina took a moment to hold the gift close and to gather herself once again. “It's lovely, Sylvanas. I...I have something for you as well. I'm certain it won't compare, but…” Jaina trailed off as Sylvanas tilted her head curiously, and hurried from the room.

When she returned, she held a small leather box in her hands instead of the robe. A box she opened and produced a very small, linen-wrapped item from which she passed to Sylvanas.

Sylvanas, who could only stare down at the fine compass she'd revealed when she pushed the linen to the side. 

She opened it carefully, and then shut it. And then opened it again. All the while, she remained quiet as she ran her fingertips along its fine curves and edges. 

Jaina was desperate to understand why Sylvanas’s ears were suddenly pressed back so tightly. To know why the other woman seemed to have nothing to say.

“In your poem…” Jaina said as she worried at the box she was still holding in her hand. 

Sylvanas nodded softly. There was a gentle hum of magic within the metal and wood. Faint, but there - and it felt like Jaina. Because Sylvanas could feel Jaina. In Silvermoon, in the presence of the Sunwell, it had been faint. In Theramore, Jaina was like a beacon. Distinct. Powerful. “It's enchanted.” Sylvanas lifted her eyes to Jaina when she finally managed to speak.

“Against storms. Against magic. And nearly indestructible.” Jaina offered.

Sylvanas opened it again and shut it more slowly this time before tucking it with great care into the pouch at her belt. “Thank you, Jaina.” Sylvanas fiddled for a moment with the linen it had been wrapped in and then continued - only quieter, this time. “I am usually one to...what I mean to say is…”

Jaina bridged what little distance she'd put between them if only to hear her better. Perhaps to encourage her to continue, as well - and she reached out to touch Sylvanas’s wrist with her fingertips until the General was taking her hand into her own. “A woman has never given me a gift before.” She finally managed. “Forgive my fumbling. This is an entirely new experience for me.” 

Jaina glanced down at their twined hands, then leaned in to press a soft kiss and all of the understanding in the world to Sylvanas’s cheek. “I understand that feeling all too well. I nearly cried when I read your poem.” 

Sylvanas sighed softly and lifted Jaina’s hand to her lips for a parting kiss before she moved towards the door and began fixing her hood, only looking back at Jaina when she'd grasped the handle of it. “If I don't leave now I never will.” She explained with a crooked little smile that made Jaina’s chest ache before she was gone. 

The banquet was...a banquet. It was loud in the hall, and the ale flowed freely, though Jaina didn't partake. She noticed even from the other end of the long table that Sylvanas didn't seem inclined to, either. Alleria had a pint or two, but that was about it among their group. Yet, even as wary as they must have been, they were the focus of many animated conversations which they joined in to varying degrees of success and delight. All of them spoke Common. Perhaps not as well as Sylvanas and her family, but well enough that they were never left out. And Jaina was proud of her people for seemingly going out of their way to avoid doing so. 

But what had Jaina picking around her plate were the glances she and Sylvanas kept sharing. She hadn't realized how obvious she was being until Pained finally spoke up to the left of her. 

“You are hopeless.” The older woman said with enough subtlety that no one would hear. Though, no one was paying them any genuine attention right now. Not with a gaggle of the elusive Sin’dorei people to catch their eye, instead. 

Jaina’s gaze fell to the table and Pained felt a faint tinge of guilt. 

“Has...had she been better to you? Than she was?” Very well, then. She would try. For Jaina.

“Yes.” Jaina’s response was guarded, but Pained was still looking at her. Long enough that Jaina looked back to see the Night Elf looking more apologetic than she'd ever seen her. “She's...no one has ever treated me the way that she does. Ever. She isn't what she seems to be.”

Pained looked down the length of the table at the General who was currently basking in various levels of attention. Whose laugh was irritatingly pleasant even from this far away, and who had enraptured nearly everyone on that side of the banquet hall with her charm and her wit. 

But she looked just long enough to catch the quick glance Sylvanas cast in Jaina’s direction. One that told Pained, unequivocally, that Sylvanas's focus was a million miles away from the conversations at hand. Or perhaps a shorter distance. Perhaps a dining hall away. 

“She is a beautiful woman.” Pained remarked idly as she buttered a piece of bread from her plate. “As are you. Please remember that.”

“She tells me,” Jaina replied quietly. “Every chance she gets.”

Pained couldn't really help the small smile that played at her lips, and Jaina felt relieved by it. “She should.” 

Pained tried to sound unaffected. But truth be told - she wasn't. In fact, if she was being entirely honest with herself, she was overjoyed. Worried, certainly. She had seen Jaina utterly broken, and she didn't want to see it again. But Jaina also deserved so much. And someone of Sylvanas’s status had much to give. 

As hard as it was for Sylvanas to retire from the banquet with the rest of her people, she knew it wouldn't be appropriate to wait around for Jaina. Not to the people of Theramore, anyway. And there had been a troll here that she was in no mood to stick around to get to know.

No, she would retreat to her rooms with Alleria where her older sister would help her with the more difficult pieces of her ceremonial armor. Armor that was too heavy and uncomfortable to truly serve any real function. It had even left sore places here and there, that Sylvanas winced about and then sighed in relief once the pressure against them was gone.

When it was her turn to help Alleria, the older woman finally spoke after biding her time for much longer than she was used to. “Are you going to see her tonight?”

“I'm not certain that I should,” Sylvanas admitted as she placed another piece of armor to the side so Alleria could step away and finish changing on the opposite side of the room where she had unpacked her things earlier.

“I don't know how much longer you think you can keep this up,” Alleria said, though she was far too exhausted for it to come across as teasing. 

“Their customs and sensibilities are...much different than our own.” Sylvanas reasoned as she pulled a dark shirt over her head and exchanged black leather breeches for soft doeskin ones of the same color. She laced them both after loosely tucking the shirt into the low-slung waist of her pants and then as soon as she was done, reached for her discarded belt to pull the compass from its pouch. Alleria’s eyes were far too sharp to miss Sylvanas carrying to unfamiliar item to the small bed she'd laid claim to earlier. 

“That may be true. But there must be a middle ground. I haven't ever seen you like this. Perhaps you could find another woman to occupy yourself with until the mage is-”

“Don't say that.” Sylvanas cut her off with her brows furrowed as she leaned back and rested the compass on her stomach. “I don't want that. At all.”

“Are you saying that after a couple of centuries of debauchery you are suddenly devoting yourself to one woman?”

Sylvanas remained silent as she opened and shut the compass almost nervously. But it gave her a great deal of comfort. The faint hum of Jaina’s magic so close to her was sorely needed right now. 

“I'm saying that I am considering entering into a courtship with her,” Sylvanas admitted. “Because for the first time the thought of devoting myself to something other than my kingdom is more appealing than terrifying.”

“Mother mentioned that that may be an inevitability,” Alleria said as she found her way to her own bed and half covered herself with the thick blankets provided to them. She turned on her side, though, to find Sylvanas gazing down at the little object she was cradling in her hands.

“A gift from your Lady?” Alleria asked with a little smirk, but even more curiosity. 

Sylvanas nodded.

“I'm sure being wooed is quite new and exciting for you.” Alleria drawled, and Sylvanas looked over at her with a faint frown.

“I'm only teasing you. I've never known you to find yourself in a situation like this, is all I meant to say. And I would be lying if I said I felt my sister doesn't deserve a gift now and again.” 

Sylvanas offered Alleria a weak smile. She was still waiting for the hammer to fall. Yet, as Alleria turned over and got comfortable, it still hadn't. 

Just when Sylvanas breathed a sigh of relief, it came out of nowhere.

“Don't wake me sneaking out later.”

Sylvanas didn't respond. She was, however, absolutely silent when she did just that an hour or so later while Alleria slept just a few feet away. 

She didn't even both to find a cloak to guard against the chill that had permeated the hallways in the night, and by the time she reached Jaina’s doors she was fairly certain she was frozen. Still, she managed a soft, polite knock - unsure if Jaina was sleeping, and not wanting to wake her if she was. To her surprise, there were soft footsteps across the floor only a moment or two later, and Jaina opened the door for her with an almost nervous smile in greeting.

She was wearing the robe. A robe that had been made specifically for her. To fit perfectly. And by the sun, did it fit perfectly. 

And Jaina was wearing nothing underneath it.

“Come in. I know you're cold.” Jaina reached for her, then, guiding her in through the doorway into a room that was almost too warm for her, but exactly what Sylvanas needed. 

Upon closer inspection, Sylvanas discovered a large fire crackling away in the hearth, in front of which had been placed a thick, luxurious fur. Possibly bear - from the looks of it. It was such a cozy, inviting sight that Sylvanas found herself drawn to it almost as much as she was drawn to Jaina.

Jaina only walked over with her and knelt beside her as she got settled with one shoulder against the stone and her legs stretched out in front of her. Even the stone of the hearth was warm, and it was wonderful. 

Still silent, Sylvanas reached for Jaina's hand and carefully guided her into her lap so that the mage’s back was against her chest. And Jaina was warm, too. Warm and soft and covered in silk as she should be. 

“I wanted to be with you,” Sylvanas explained quietly as she tentatively wrapped her arms around Jaina, who seemed entirely content with their current arrangement. 

“I was waiting for you,” Jaina admitted with only the slightest hint of hesitation. 

“That's good to know.” Sylvanas said as she rested her chin lightly on Jaina's shoulder to find she was pulling a small piece of parchment from the sash of her robe.

“Will you read this to me?” She asked as Sylvanas took it from her and looked down to examine it. Her poem. “In Thalassian? I want to know what it would have sounded like. I couldn't stop thinking about it.”

Sylvanas smiled. A smile that she pressed into the side of Jaina’s neck that caused a shiver Jaina didn't bother trying to hide.

Sylvanas read the poem in her own tongue just as she'd been asked. And of course it was more beautiful. With every gentle lilt and brush of lips against Jaina’s skin and that low murmur of Sylvanas’s voice in the velvet that was her language. 

Jaina could have wept when it was over too quickly, until the sting of its ending was gentled by Sylvanas plying it aside and tracing her fingertips along the lengths of her fingers until she was twining their hands together.

_”In your finding, I am found - and in your lips there is salvation_  
In your skin, the soft haven of acceptance  
Yet still, I yearn  
I long to know the feel of it against my tongue  
I long to learn the taste of your pleasure  
To know what it is to feel you trembling with it against me 

_I wish to know you in ways deeper still_  
I wish to delve into you like an ocean  
Like a book whose pages are too rarely turned  
Oh, to swallow your gasps and to hear the moan of my name upon your lips  
Oh, to be that which brings you pleasure unending 

_I would find with you, together, something more than what we are apart_  
Wrapped in you and owned by you while I lay my claim in turn  
I would give you my heart  
I would paint the beating of it into your skin until its rhythm became measures of song  
A song that would be the envy of every kingdom’s finest bards 

_Would you but allow yourself to be mine_  
Would you but accept that I am already yours  
And that I am helpless to stop the rising of the tide that is you  
Into which I would blissfully sink,  
weighted willingly by the comfort of being known  
And of knowing you” 

Jaina’s mouth had never been so dry. She didn't even realize just how tightly she was holding Sylvanas’s hand until the other woman stroked slowly along the side of it and pressed the softest of kisses just behind her reddened ear.

“I...I've been studying, and…” Jaina trailed off as Sylvanad exhaled deeply against her neck. The breath had the faintest catch in it. But it was enough that Jaina noticed.

“I know.” Sylvanas murmured in reply. 

“That was a beautiful work. I've never read anything like it.” Jaina whispered when she found her full voice failing her at the worst possible time.

“It wasn't a poem,” Sylvanas said, only confirming Jaina’s suspicions. “Just every thought that's run rampant through my mind since we've been apart.” 

Jaina slowly let go of Sylvanas's hand, and the older woman withdrew it carefully, but Jaina shook her head softly and reached for it again to stop her pulling away. “I know how you’ve been feeling. I’m just not certain what I’m supposed to do about it. I’m also not quite as good with words as you. Not this kind, at least.” 

Sylvanas wrapped her arm back around Jaina, then, and touched along the edge of her robe where it rode down her chest, though she drew her fingertips back up and along her collarbone before too long. “Has it been long, then?” Sylvanas asked - her tone almost painfully gentle.

“I...Sylvanas, I’ve only ever been with one person.” Jaina thought it was going to be difficult to admit that...but the words had come freely, and hadn’t added much additional color to her already reddened cheeks. “I don’t know how to give you what we both want. But gods, I want to.” 

“I know,” Sylvanas whispered, clearly unbothered by that admission. “I can hear your heart racing.”

Her own wasn’t exactly still in her chest. But she kept that fact to herself as Jaina’s hand stroked along her arm for a moment before shifting to the sash that held her robe and pulling it free. As the garment parted freely, Sylvanas began guiding it down her shoulders. “Does this mean you would like for me to touch you?” 

“Please.” Jaina whispered, turning her head to the side so that Sylvanas could feel just how hot her face was even through her shirt. 

Sylvanas’s eyes fell shut for a moment as she allowed the robe to drop to the crooks of Jaina’s arms and trailed soft touches back up them. She took the opportunity of Jaina’s head being turned as an advantage for the moment and trailed the bridge of her nose along the length of the side of her neck before kissing just beneath her ear. 

“Don’t hide from me.” Her voice was a whisper. But it called to Jaina powerfully, and she could do little else but turn her head enough to see Sylvanas from the corner of her eye. “You are utterly _breathtaking_. I have never, ever seen something so stunning as you.” 

As Sylvanas spoke, one of her hands moved gradually to graze the curve of Jaina’s breast until she was cradling it in her palm. That statement had been absolutely true. Sylvanas had often caught herself admiring the soft curves of Jaina’s body...but being able to touch them was something else entirely. Being able to see the little dusting of freckles across her chest. Hearing Jaina’s sharp, soft gasp when she first grazed her nipple with the side of her thumb. 

“Do I get to see you?” Jaina asked - already completely breathless as her chest arched without her even willing it to. 

“Soon.” Sylvanas cooed against her shoulder. “But I’m going to make you feel good first. Relax. Lean into me.” 

Sylvanas exhaled softly when she felt more weight against her chest, and parted her lips against Jaina’s skin to deliver the gentlest bite she could manage - leaving the faintest indents behind. But, gods, did it drive chills along Jaina’s spine. “Yes.” Sylvanas encouraged quietly. The moment one hand abandoned Jaina’s breast to trail down her stomach, the other found the previously neglected one.

She hadn’t even touched Jaina’s thighs by the time the mage’s hands had found her knees and dragged the material of her breeches into wads in her fists, but she did soon enough. Both hands moved to rest along the insides of Jaina’s knees, further parting her own thighs to allow Jaina to widen hers at the behest of her hands’ slow downward path. 

It was then that Jaina realized that beneath her own heavy breathing, she was hearing quiet pants from Sylvanas. That the woman’s chest was shifting against her back more quickly than it had been. That realization was so thrilling, she didn’t have time to prepare herself for the feeling of one of Sylvanas’s hands finally moving between her legs. She was anything but relaxed for a moment, and gave the knees of Sylvanas’s breeches a slight tug as she felt long, deft fingers part her.

“Beautiful,” Sylvanas reassured against the corner of Jaina’s jaw. “You feel like velvet. I could never have imagined…” 

Jaina’s hands relaxed before the rest of her, but as soon as her body followed suit, Sylvanas trailed a line of wetness from Jaina’s as yet untouched entrance towards her clit, slicking it carefully before she began rubbing slow, light circles around it. 

“Don’t be afraid to talk to me. Tell me what you like. Tell me what you don’t like. I want nothing more than to know.”

“I like this.” Jaina gasped as her hands trembled where they still were on Sylvanas’s legs. “I don’t want...you to stop.” 

“I wouldn’t stop for anything unless you told me to.” Sylvanas panted, though she hoped desperately that Jaina wouldn’t ask her to. 

Her fears were quickly alleviated as Jaina began to tremble against her. As her thighs began to tense and her gasps turned into throat whimpers and groans. 

“Come for me.” Sylvanas whispered. “I’ve dreamt of this. I’ve dreamt of how you sound right now. Come for me, Jaina.” Her words slipped in and out of Thalassian as she murmured them - barely intelligible- against Jaina’s neck. “That’s it. Yes, Jaina…” 

Sylvanas trailed off when Jaina’s hand darted to clasp around her wrist in a vice-like grip to keep her there as she spilled over an edge she hadn’t even recognized. Her entire body was shaking against the bulwark that was Sylvanas against her back. 

Jaina hadn’t been at all prepared. Not for the way her vision blurred or the heat all-consuming pleasure that spread throughout her body. 

And instead of worrying about her own needs - her own pressing, aching wants - Sylvanas just held her in her arms and dusted her shoulder and her neck and everything she could reach with kisses and murmurs that were too soft for Jaina to hear. But they were just want she needed to come down gently. 

“What about you?” Jaina asked as her head rolled slightly so that her nose brushed the underside of Sylvanas’s jaw. “I want to do that for you. I just...didn’t really consider how I would go about it.” 

Sylvanas laughed quietly. A breathy, slightly raspy sound that spoke to just how aroused she was. “First, I made you a promise.” She moved back carefully to make sure Jaina would catch herself, but stayed close as she unlaced her shirt and pulled it over her head. 

Jaina’s eyes were already on her when she tossed her shirt to the side of the rug. On the hard lines of muscle in her broad shoulders and her toned stomach. And on more scars than Jaina ever would have guessed. 

“You’re…” Jaina’s lips were still parted as she shook her head and looked up to meet Sylvanas’s eyes. She was still drunk on golden skin and perfect lines as just one of Sylvanas’s ears lifted while the other stayed put. 

“Not perfect.” Sylvanas finished for her playfully. “But that’s our secret.” 

“No. No, no, gods...you are...I don’t have the words...” Jaina replied immediately as she moved closer and reached to splay her fingers against the General’s stomach, and higher, though she became more tentative when she reached the subtle curve of the underside of one of the older woman’s breasts.

“It’s okay,” Sylvanas said as she slowly laid down on her side and guided Jaina down with her. Once they were both still, Sylvanas slowly lifted one of her legs to rest her bent knee atop Jaina’s hip, and almost by intuition alone, Jaina extended an arm for Sylvanas to rest her head on. 

Jaina’s attention was quickly stolen from half-shut eyes to movement between them as Sylvanas unlaced her own breeches. Oh. Oh, fuck…

“Just watch.” Sylvanas offered before sinking her hand into the space she’d made for herself in the formerly tight pants she had on. 

Jaina nodded faintly, and Sylvanas scooted herself slightly closer, and she was surprised to find that Jaina was reaching down to touch lightly over her breeches where her hand was. 

“I want to learn,” Jaina explained quietly as Sylvanas paused before nodding. “Can I?” 

“Of course.” Sylvanas was used to so much more than this. Technically. But the light weight of Jaina’s hand and the occasionally brush of a thumb against her wrist as she began stroking her own clit was...well. She couldn’t even manage to keep her eyes open. 

And Jaina did learn. She learned that Sylvanas alternated from quick, firm movements to slower ones. She learned that her hips flexed beautifully and that a shudder usually followed. She also learned that Sylvanas made the most exquisite sounds she’d ever heard. Soft, subtle ones. Catches of her breath. Short little groans that only just left the back of her throat. 

Jaina wanted her closer. She wanted more of all of it. And as those noises came more frequently, Sylvanas moved so that she was half over her, but her head fell slightly. Angled just so - so that when her teeth clenched together Jaina even heard the quiet ‘click’ of them. Even the sharpness of the breaths that followed were, Jaina was fairly certain, forever ingrained in her memory. 

Unsure of what to do, Jaina simply pressed her hand against Sylvanas’s with a bit more firmness. Just in time to feel her fingertips go still and a few raspy, breathy moans fall from lips that were near enough to her ear that Jaina felt the head of Sylvanas’s breath against her skin. 

In a moment of boldness, as Sylvanas leaned into her, Jaina moved her hand again. This time - beneath the material confining Sylvanas’s to stroke over her fingers and discover the wetness on the tips of them. 

While Sylvanas was still recovering, she somehow managed to lift one of her fingers along Jaina’s, spreading the slickness she’d only just discovered along the length of it as she lay back down and looked at her. 

What she found when she did, was that Jaina’s brow was furrowed and she looked to be in awe despite the fact that Sylvanas’s pants hid what she was doing. Eventually, Sylvanas slid her own from beneath Jaina’s and pushed her pants down past her own hips to reveal the cuts of muscle that ran down towards prominent bones and perfectly smooth skin between her legs. 

Jaina looked up at her, then. Asking silently for approval with just a look. 

Sylvanas gave her a faint nod. “You can touch me. Don’t be afraid of anything with me.” 

“Can...can you take those the rest of the way off?”

Sylvanas obliged easily - discarding them where her shirt was still laying all but forgotten, and laying back down as close to Jaina as she’d been before. 

It occurred to Jaina that she’d never seen someone so fit, just before it occurred to her that the Ranger-General of Quel’thalas was laying in her rooms utterly naked, more than happy to let her look all she wanted to. 

But she wanted to touch. And Sylvanas encouraged every soft, hesitant graze along her body until Jaina couldn’t take it anymore and finally moved to her inner thigh. 

When she found Sylvanas still wet, she nearly lost her already tenuous grasp on reality. 

“You can keep going.” Sylvanas offered gently, reaching out to stroke through Jaina’s hair. 

Jaina found the source of that wetness and nearly pressed the tip of her finger in before she hesitated, and Sylvanas leaned in to kiss her slowly. Just as their tongues touched, she pulled back and, instead, brushed her lips to Jaina’s cheek before murmuring against it. “I want you inside me if you want to be, Jaina.” 

Jaina hadn’t realized just how much she wanted to be until she was - until she was pressing a single finger into the exquisitely tight heat that tightened even more in response to her presence.

“More.” Sylvanas encouraged as she moved onto her back and lifted one of her legs - bending it at the knee so her foot was flat against the rug and Jaina had all the space she could want. She tried her best to use it. She relished the quiet murmur that came from Sylvanas as she arched slightly in response to the stretch of the second finger Jaina dared to add next to the first. 

Sylvanas was endlessly patient with her. Even on the cusp of her orgasm, she guided Jaina without the faintest hint of frustration. 

They were both still in a daze as they lay half-covered beneath Jaina’s robe in front of the now much smaller fire. Sylvanas was utterly sated. Jaina was somewhere between that room and...just...gone. 

But she could feel Sylvanas’s fingertips trailing along her back. 

“I never thought it could be like this,” Jaina admitted, turning her head lazily towards Sylvanas as the other woman lifted herself enough to prop her chin in her hand. 

“It will only get better,” Sylvanas replied. She smiled, and it was both tired and content. “The more time we have together, the better you will know me, and the better I will know you. I hope to never stop learning.” 

“I hope that, too.” Jaina was as earnest as she could be, because she had never wanted anything more. Or, at least, she hadn’t allowed herself to truly want for _herself_ in...ever. 

“Shall I make my way back to my own room?” Sylvanas asked as she threaded both her hands through Jaina’s hair and leaned in for a kiss that was gladly returned. “Or is there time before the people of Theramore Keep start stirring?” 

“Time enough for us to lay here for a while longer.” 

“I would say I couldn’t ask for more if that were true,” Sylvanas said with a chuckle, though she was all too happy when they settled in together more tightly. “But I think the day I can safely wake to the morning sun with you in my arms will likely be my favorite day.” 

“That sounds wonderful,” Jaina whispered in the short span of time between Sylvanas’s statement and the next kiss that was pressed to her lips. 

Sylvanas showed Jaina that she agreed rather than telling her with a series of deep, lingering kisses that Jaina could’ve happily spent the rest of the night receiving.


	10. The Thrill of the Hunt

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“You’re horrible at sneaking,” Alleria grumbled from her bed as she sat up and stretched herself out. It was nearly morning anyway, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to give her sister a hard time. 

“I wasn’t sneaking,” Sylvanas responded, narrowing her eyes as she plopped down onto her own bed but didn’t bother laying down. 

“So, uh…” 

“No,” Sylvanas replied adamantly as she slid her shirt off over her head and reached for the bowl of washwater on the table near her bed. Once she had a damp cloth in hand, she began giving herself a cursory scrub. She was glad they hadn’t brought any mages with them. Knowing the ones that hung around the court, there would have been running water in every room by the first night. But this was positively luxurious compared to what both her and Alleria were used to having in the field, so neither complained - despite the lack of warmth in the water. 

“No, what?” Alleria asked innocently as Sylvanas’s actions spurned her into washing herself, as well. 

“I have no intention of discussing this with you, that’s all. I wanted to go ahead and get that out of the way.” Sylvanas stood to get to her legs with the cloth, and Alleria scoffed from her bed. 

“I didn’t even say anything. It’s just, you know, I’m so proud of my baby sister. You had practically turned yourself into a monk for the girl.” 

Sylvanas’s ears pressed back as she tossed the used cloth aside and reached for her bag to find a set of nice leathers for the day. They didn’t have anything particularly pressing on the agenda. Perhaps to give them all a short break from mingling and attempting to fit in where they absolutely did not. 

“She’s not ‘the girl’, Alleria. I don’t know if you’re aware, but this city isn’t anything to scoff at. And neither is she.” 

“So, when’s the wedding?” Alleria asked far too casually as she got changed, herself. She’d gotten very good, over the years, at ignoring the scathing looks her sister sent her way more often than not. This was definitely one of those times she put that skill to use. 

“I would really appreciate it if you could respect my privacy in this matter,” Sylvanas stated evenly as she sat on the edge of her bed to slide her boots on over her calves. 

“Of course, Ranger-General. I would never even consider not respecting your privacy.” Alleria stood now that she was dressed, and walked over to take a better look at her clearly agitated sister. 

“Your hair.” She stated simply, though her lips had curled ever so slightly in amusement. “While you see to that mess, I’m going to go see about breakfast.” 

“I can’t imagine you being concerned with anything that isn’t food, honestly. It’s touching that you were so worried about my comings and goings this morning.” 

“Mm.” Alleria tossed a brush from her own pack in Sylvanas’s direction and then made her way towards the door. The moment she opened it, she was met with...a chest? She raised her gaze and her vision focused on a Night Elf that was much taller close up than she had seemed the previous day. 

“Good morning.” Pained greeted, her eyes flashing behind Alleria to Sylvanas and back again. 

“Good morning to you, as well,” Alleria responded as she leaned against the door frame. “What can we do for you?” 

“Well, I was gathering a hunting party for the morning. We still supplement our food supplies with large game. And as graciously as my charge and her people have hosted me, I thought an Elven hunting party might be an interesting change of pace. I also thought it might be something the two of you might consider enjoyable.” 

“You don’t say.” Sylvanas jabbed as she clasped her heaviest cloak on around her shoulders on the other side of the room. 

“Forgive my sister. She didn’t get much rest last night.” Alleria’s ear flicked slightly as Sylvanas hissed. It was just like her to use a sound on her that they regularly used int the field as a warning. And it was hilarious, given the circumstances. 

“Nothing to forgive.” Pained responded dryly. “We leave in an hour.” 

“In an hour, then.” Alleria agreed. 

“Jaina has expressed interest in joining us. Do either of you object to that?” Pained couldn’t help but be at least somewhat amused by the mix of reactions. Alleria’s ears twitched backward in the direction of her sister, whose own ears had perked visibly. 

Alleria absolutely had objections. She just wasn’t inclined to voice them. Still, Pained didn’t want to be the cause of an argument. Things were tenuous enough and new enough, already. And she was doing this for Jaina. 

“I assure you she’s not entirely inept in the forest. I was quite surprised myself the first time I took her out.” 

“Of course,” Alleria responded as she offered a faint smile. Pained nodded at her and returned the smile, and Alleria shut the door behind her when she left. 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Sylvanas said as she carefully threaded her ears through the slits made for them in her hood. 

“I would, actually.” Alleria corrected her without hesitation. “It’s been ages.”

“We just got here, Alleria, and there is no shortage of women fawning over you every time you show up in Silvermoon.” Sylvanas countered. 

“Well, we aren’t in Silvermoon, are we? Besides, did you see how tall she was?” 

Sylvanas sighed heavily and sat on the edge of her bed with her bow to check over the string and see how the wood was adjusting to the new climate. “I’ve seen her plenty, thank you.” 

“You’re in a terrible mood, all things considered,” 

Just when Sylvanas had been about to go back on the defensive, Alleria handed her a little linen-wrapped bundle from the pouch she just finished fastening to her belt, and she fell silent as she unwrapped it only to discover a few pieces of honeyed flatbread. Something that just happened to be one of Sylvanas’s favorite things. 

“You should eat.” Alleria continued without addressing the fact that she’d clearly packed these for her sister, as she wasn’t overly fond of them, herself. “You aren’t as used to being away from the Sunwell as I am. Try to keep that in mind. We’ll have a nice glass of mana wine when we get back from the hunt.” 

“Why are you being so nice?” Sylvanas asked as she propped herself up against the headboard of the bed with her bow resting across her lap. 

“Because you’re my sister,” Alleria explained with a faint shrug. “And because I know when you’re in a bad mood, there’s always a reason for it - even if you don’t tell me what it is.” 

Sylvanas polished off the first piece of bread and hazarded a glance in Alleria’s direction, watching as she found her own bed and lay down on her side to look over at her. “Maybe I’m a little out of my comfort zone.” She finally admitted. 

“I could’ve told you that.” Alleria laughed quietly, but it wasn’t something that Sylvanas took offense to. “But I think we both always knew you’d be the one to settle down, right? So even if this isn’t it for you, you’ll learn from it.” 

Sylvanas hadn’t meant to broach that subject. In fact, she’d thought Alleria had taken the bait - what, with mentioning the Sunwell and all. But, no. She’d gone right for the kill. It left Sylvanas silent for a while as she had another piece of her bread before speaking again. “I’ve never really considered any of this before. Not really. Not the logistics of it, anyway. And now Mother wants me to make a decision in three weeks as to whether or not I want to pursue an official courtship.” 

“It’s as you said, Lady Moon. She’s not just a girl. Not some courtesan from Silvermoon to fall over your every poetic word and coddle you after a hard battle. But you were never easy, were you? You’ve never chosen a path for yourself that would be effortless by any stretch.”

“She likes my poetry,” Sylvanas responded quietly with her brows furrowed while she fiddled with the last piece of bread. 

“Does she?” Alleria asked with a soft, but still amused smile. “Well, you should go ahead and have your ring made. Our family’s writing genes skipped you entirely.” 

“Ass.” Sylvanas quipped, only sounding mildly dejected before popping the last of the bread into her mouth and sitting up to face Alleria. “I’m a better poet than you.” 

“Debateable. You’re just lucky you got Mother’s eyes.” Alleria faltered a bit, then, and they both looked away from each other. It was such a recent thing - the green that had come to replace Sylvanas’s grey and Alleria’s blue. The little jab had just slipped out so easily, because it’s what they were both used to. 

“I wonder how the others are faring,” Alleria said idly in an effort to shift the conversation into something more comfortable. 

“None of us are opposed to being fawned over. There was quite a bit of talk of accents last night at dinner, and no small amount of them showing off, though it must seem subtle to the humans. I think they’ll enjoy their time here.” 

“Mm, none of them as much as you. If you plan to keep slipping off to stay gone all night, that is.” Alleria dodged the now-empty cloth being tossed her way as she stood in response to the sound of footsteps approaching in the hallway. 

“Might that be your lady-love, now?” 

“_Stop it._” Sylvanas hissed with her eyes narrowed and her ears back just before a knock sounded at the door. 

Despite the teasing, Sylvanas opened the door quickly with a smile - only to have it fall when she saw Pained standing between her and Jaina, who was fiddling with a belt around her waist that she was no doubt unused to wearing. 

Pained did her best not to snort in response. “We’re early. Lady Proudmoore was too excited to wait any longer. Isn’t that right, Jaina?” 

Jaina blushed a bit as she glanced into their room past Pained’s shoulder and offered Sylvanas and her sister a slightly muted smile. “I don’t get out much.” She explained sheepishly, and before Sylvanas could respond, Alleria was pushing past her and out the door as she slung her quiver easily over her shoulder. 

“Well, you’re getting out today! And we’re wasting the dawn. Isn’t that right, erm...Pained?” 

Pained chuckled quietly, obviously finding Alleria’s rather brash treatment of her sister rather entertaining. “It is always best to hunt when the light is still grey, yes.” 

Sylvanas regained her footing by the time Pained and Alleria cleared out of the doorway, and the embarrassment read plainly on her face. But instead of laughing or teasing, Jaina only glanced down the hallway at the retreating figures of their party and then leaned in to kiss her quickly. 

A laugh did come, then, as Sylvanas’s wilted ears perked immediately. 

“Good morning.” Sylvanas murmured as the corners of her lips curled and she seemed to be back in her element once again. That greeting had been somehow both gentle and sultry all at once, and Jaina was glad she was too tired to be easily flustered. 

“Good morning,” Jaina responded, reaching to shut the door for Sylvanas so they could start catching up to the long, easy strides Alleria and Pained were taking down the hall. “Did you get much sleep last night?” 

Sylvanas cut her eyes in Jaina’s direction just in time to catch her cheeks reddening and her smile widening all at once. “No. I didn’t sleep a wink, in fact.” 

“And was it worth it?” Jaina asked, sobering herself quickly and sounding suddenly all-too-innocent. 

“Unimaginably so.” Sylvanas could act with the best of them, and even as those much-needed, affirming words met Jaina’s ears, the General’s face was a placid mask of stoicism. “I was rather surprised by this invitation, if I’m being entirely honest.” 

“It wasn’t entirely innocent on either of our parts.” Jaina admitted. “Our hunters, even now, have a difficult time keeping up with the demand. Especially in colder times. Without ground cover and against the snow, they always have to stay out twice as long to bring back half as much game.” 

“I’ll go out with them, then. Before our time here is through. There is likely much I could show them in the way of tracking and camouflage.” Sylvanas offered this as though it were the most natural and expected thing in the world, but Jaina found herself struggling not to gape at her. 

“You’re going to take a bunch of clumsy humans out and teach them how to hunt properly?” Jaina asked, doing little to hide the level of disbelief she was experiencing. 

“Of course,” Sylvanas said as she finished buckling her quiver across her chest and hooked her bow against it. “No one should go hungry for lack of learning when there is someone to teach them. Besides, the few Elves you have here are far too few to carry the burden on themselves, and I would wager anything that I’m the best hunter on this continent right now.” 

“Oh, really?” Jaina found this level of cockiness that had suddenly returned both refreshing and curious. Because Sylvanas sounded like she absolutely believed that and, hell, maybe it was true. “Then what do you suppose they’re doing wrong?” 

“Guns,” Sylvanas replied simply, only glancing at Jaina for a moment as they rounded the next corner. “They hunt with guns, don’t they?” 

“Well, yes. They don’t know anything else. They’re used to their stag hunts and fox hunts in Lordaeron. Not feeding an entire city. Is...is there something wrong with guns?” 

Sylvanas frowned and one of her ears flicked subtly. “There is everything wrong with guns. They’re far too loud, most importantly. Far less accurate - if you train yourself to be a decent shot with a bow, that is. And they are wasteful. You can repair arrows as many times as you need to as long as the shaft isn’t compromised. That could be invaluable to a place and a people that are only just starting to grow enough to thrive. Your blacksmiths would be free to shoe your horses. To craft items that are necessary for further development. Tools and things of that nature.” 

“I suppose that’s extremely logical.” Jaina murmured, still taking in everything Sylvanas had just said. She hadn’t really been expecting this side of her. But it was so nice. It was so nice to know that Sylvanas had this side at all. “And of course I both appreciate and accept your offer.” 

It was Sylvanas’s turn to blush. Not out of embarrassment, but because she was so strangely pleased that Jaina would accept her help. And equally pleased she could offer it. 

Soon enough, though, they had caught up to Alleria and Pained - who were chatting back and forth easily. 

“You two are certainly getting along splendidly,” Jaina remarked from behind them, and Pained turned her attention towards her. 

“Why wouldn’t we?” 

Jaina just quirked an eyebrow and shook her head and let them get back to whatever they were talking about. Currently, it seemed that Pained was discussing a herd of deer that she’d had a little luck tracking recently. 

Sylvanas both appreciated and despised how easily Pained and her sister had fallen into this with each other. Appreciated - because at least Pained was off her back, and despised, well...for obvious reasons. 

The moment they stepped outside of the building, Sylvanas nearly rescinded her offer as well as her agreement to hunting when the cold bit into her mercilessly. 

She even physically faltered for a moment as her breath puffed visibly from her nostrils. She hadn’t even realized her ears had pressed against her hood so hard they were almost curled to the shape of her head until Jaina turned a worried gaze in her direction. 

Alleria was even struggling, despite her time out on the borders of Quel’Thalas. This was...awful. Yet, she merely pulled her cloak more tightly about herself in response to the realization that Pained seemed utterly unbothered by it. 

Jaina, on the other hand, reached out to graze Sylvanas’s gloved hand with her fingertips questioningly. That was enough coaxing. At least for now, anyway. Sylvanas trudged on, then. Even through the crusts of ice that had formed in some of the muddier bits of land just outside the city. Her boots were well-waxed, at least, so her feet would stay dry and fairly warm. 

Her ears, though, were another story entirely. But she tried her best to push that to the back of her mind. Focusing, instead, on learning her surroundings. 

She became so focused on that, in fact, that she didn’t notice Alleria was talking to her until she said her name a second time. 

“What? I’m sorry.” 

“Maybe your ears are frozen.” Alleria quipped as both her and Pained came to a stop. As it turned out, Jaina had been a little too busy looking at Sylvanas to notice the conversation had shifted, so she was standing in much the same boat as her. “Because I know you’d have had something to say if you’d just heard Pained suggest she could out-climb us.” 

“She what?” Sylvanas asked with a slight lift of her brow. 

“It wasn’t meant as an insult.” Pained drawled as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It’s just that it’s very obvious to me that the two of you aren’t quite as suited to it. You’re light and quick, sure. Anyone with eyes could see that. But I don’t think you’re meant for tree-climbing.” 

Sylvanas’s gaze shifted from Pained to Alleria, who was smirking playfully in her direction. 

“Well, what are you standing there for?” She asked her sister with a slight tilt of her head. “We need to find three trees that are comparable for it to be fair. In fact, give her more footholds if you want. She’ll need them.” 

Jaina didn’t mind following them around through the woods while they debated on suitable trees as seriously as if this were some sort of political negotiation. In fact, she found them all rather adorable for it. Even when it became apparent she was going to be the gear-holder for the duration of their climbs. 

No, she still didn’t mind. Especially when she realized just how serious Pained was - even going so far as to go through a series of stretches before she finally signaled that she was ready. 

“Sure you don’t want to have a long soak, first?” Sylvanas asked with a sly smile, and Pained rolled her eyes. 

“Forgive me not wanting to injure myself. Some people aren’t as young as you lot.” 

“I’m not young.” Alleria countered with a little chuckle. “But I’m still going to beat you.” 

“We’ll see.” Pained eyed her carefully for a moment before looking ahead of her towards the tree that was her goal. 

“Ready?” Jaina asked, and Sylvanas unclasped her cloak at nearly the exact same time as her sister. 

“Go.” Jaina’s eyes widened as they all took off. 

She knew how fast Pained was. She knew how fast elves were in general. In theory. Then again, she’d never seen one flat-out run with no object other than to be the fastest. 

It was something else, alright. For everyone one of Pained’s strides, both Sylvanas and her sister had to take two. Yet, they were still faster. Their feet almost didn’t look like they touched the ground. 

The real show, however, started when they got to the trees. Jaina had certainly never seen anything like this. 

She lost sight of Alleria almost immediately in the pine needles that still clung to their boughs, and Sylvanas was gone nearly as fast. They lept from branch to branch without thought or effort, all while Pained used her strength to pull herself higher. 

Sylvanas was only panting lightly when she got near the top, only to come face to face with Alleria reaching down to help her up onto the highest branch they could safely perch upon. 

“Ass.” Sylvanas hissed as Alleria laughed and straddled the branch, leaning over to see Pained looking over at them from about halfway up her tree. 

“Need some help over there?” Alleria called out, and Pained groaned and let herself drop to the ground, followed by the two sisters. 

There wasn’t a lot of ribbing for Pained to endure. Only a little. Because thankfully, they happened upon a track that Sylvanas lifted a hand to call for silence over. It was a signal so universal that even Jaina understood. 

By the time they located the herd, both Sylvanas and Alleria had enough birds hanging from their belts to feed a large family each. Pained had again been bested, though she hadn’t ever held out any hope that she was a better shot than either of them. 

When all was said and done, they wound up with two deer to lug back to the city, as well. Another opportunity for Jaina to watch Sylvanas and Alleria while she helped Pained rig a sled out of a large, waxed piece of cloth she’d brought for just this purpose so she could drag her catch back behind herself. 

She’d hunted with Pained before, so it was something she was familiar with. What she wasn’t familiar with, however, was how Sylvanas and Alleria could make work - and dirty work at that - look so much like it wasn’t work. By the time Pained was ready, so were they - one strap over each of their shoulders on opposite sides and the deer slung easily between them. 

True to Pained’s word, Jaina had been nothing but easy to work with in the field. Whether by magic or her own volition, she had been nearly as quiet as any of them. She’d even spotted a bird for Sylvanas. 

Sylvanas wanted to tell her that. She wanted to tell her she’d loved being out here with her - that it had even been worth the cold and the stiffness in her ears. But that was a little bit difficult considering their current setup. 

Maybe Alleria picked up on that. Maybe she also saw this as a good opportunity to see what Jaina was willing to put up with beyond traipsing around in the woods with them. “You wanna get this end?” She asked as she nudged her shoulder and Sylvanas looked over at her questioningly. “So I can help Pained get that poor animal off the ground? That’s a beautiful hide. It would be a waste to ruin it.” 

Jaina smiled graciously, and Alleria and Sylvanas both stopped as Alleria handed the strap over in surprise. Jaina didn’t exactly manage the burden with as much grace or ease as Alleria had, but Sylvanas couldn’t help the little tinge of pride she felt when they fell into step next to each other - Alleria and Pained already decently ahead of them. 

“You did really well this morning.” Sylvanas felt so much relief in finally being able to say that, that she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her features. “Color me impressed.” 

“I did well?” Jaina replied. “And how was I on the hunt?” 

Sylvanas’s eyes widened, and she looked over at Jaina, who was aiming a teasing smile in her direction. 

“I…” Sylvanas glanced ahead of them as her ears twitched nervously. “You were wonderful on the hunt.” 

“I apologize.” Jaina sounded like she meant it, and Sylvanas felt a twinge of guilt for her reaction. “If...you would rather not talk about it…?” 

“No, no. It isn’t that.” Sylvanas reassured her quickly, finding herself desperately wishing there wasn’t a deer hanging between them. “I don’t want you to think that.” 

“Then it wasn’t a one-off thing? I mean, if it was - I’ll understand, of course.” Jaina hoped that sounded as light and unbothered as she’d meant for it to. Even if she had been thinking of nothing else since Sylvanas had come to her the night before. 

“I didn’t intend for it to be,” Sylvanas spoke quietly, even if she needn’t have. Alleria and Pained were much faster than them now that Jaina was burdened so, and they were rather engrossed in each other, anyway that it didn’t really matter. “But I feel the same, of course. I want nothing more than whatever it is that you want.” 

“I suppose this was a good start,” Jaina replied as she adjusted the strap on her shoulder into a slightly more comfortable position. “I certainly didn’t want to be some sort of conquest.” 

Sylvanas might have been offended if she wasn’t aware that her own actions might have made this seem like exactly that type of situation. She also couldn’t help but wonder if Pained hadn’t had anything to do with these concerns of Jaina’s, but there was little she could do about it now. “No, I...I don’t typically try so hard for ‘conquests’. I certainly don’t go halfway across the world for them. That isn’t at all what you are.” 

Jaina nodded faintly as relief she hadn’t been expecting to find flooded her. “Do you suppose we could speak tonight, then? After dinner? I know you’re freezing, though you’re getting better at hiding it.”

“If I don’t perish before I get back in front of a fire, I would love to speak with you more this evening.” 

“That’s terribly dramatic of you.” Jaina teased gently. “But you can’t perish, unfortunately. I don’t need a war with Quel’Thalas on my hands.” 

Suddenly, Sylvanas slipped seamlessly into the flowing language of her people that Jaina had been studying so diligently. That Sylvanas knew she’d been studying.

“No. No, you should save your hands for this evening, I think. I can name a number of uses for them that are much more pleasant than war.” 

Even if Pained had heard her, it was unlikely she’d have understood the nuances of her words. If Alleria had heard her, well, so be it. 

“Noted.” Jaina cast a glance in Sylvanas’s direction, and Sylvanas smiled. A small, genuine smile that held none of the teasing Jaina might have expected it to. 

She returned it weakly. This wasn’t going to be a nice talk. Not for someone like Sylvanas, and certainly not for Jaina. 

But Jaina had never counted on this. No, Sylvanas was quite the wildcard. In all her arrogance...in all her infuriating self-assuredness, she had still somehow managed to convince something in Jaina that there might be something beyond Arthas and all that she’d lost. 

Even if she was currently a walking elfcicle who was putting every ounce of effort she had into looking comfortable.


	11. Tables Turning

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

The hours couldn’t pass by quickly enough for Sylvanas. Even taking into account their rather hearty breakfast and the time she spent passed out in her and Alleria’s room afterward. Where Alleria was, Sylvanas didn’t know. Frankly, she was too exhausted to care by the time her head finally hit the pillow.

But Jaina was busy, and there were no meetings scheduled for Sylvanas and her band of rangers that day. So at least she caught up on sleep. But she woke up as anxious as she’d been when she went to sleep.

Ah, well. The best cure for that was wandering, she supposed. At least in her current predicament, anyway. So, she donned a much nicer set of clothing than she’d worn on their hunt this morning. One of her black and gold sets of cour attire - a mix between military garb and riding gear - and took her time in the mirror before she finally headed out into the hallways. 

Along the way, she ran into a few people. Humans. All of them more than willing to grace her with a curious, sometimes appreciative glance. Glances that she returned with a warm smile. 

She was almost feeling a little better as she followed the smell of food hopefully when she nearly bumped into someone who was, for once, significantly smaller than her. 

“My eyes are down here.” 

Sylvanas’s brows shot up at the sound of the voice coming from below her waist. “My apologies, My Lady.” She bowed, but even then - she didn’t get quite low enough. “Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner.” 

“Kinndy Sparkshine at your service.” 

Sylvanas righted herself and tilted her head curiously, though she was smiling warmly. That disarming, striking smile that caught most people off guard. Well, _most_, anyway. Not Kinndy, apparently. 

“You’re with the others? I’ve only just gotten back, so I missed your grand entrance. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I heard it was quite the spectacle. I’m Jaina’s apprentice, by the way.” 

“Her apprentice?” Sylvanas asked with a bit more of a genuine smile. “My brother raved to me about her. I’m not surprised she has an apprentice as promising as you.” 

“Promising?” Kinndy asked with a little laugh.

“Well, you’re powerful. But you’re controlled. Like Jaina. I can feel her even in my own rooms when she is in hers. Magic isn’t really my thing, but I’m very sensitive to it. We all are.” 

“I’ve noticed that with Quel’dorei. There are a few of you here and there in Theramore. The Kaldorei don’t seem to have that peculiarity. Wait…” Kinndy narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked up at Sylvanas for a moment until realization dawned on her. “You aren’t-”

“I am Sin’dorei,” Sylvanas confirmed, her expression nothing if not forgiving. 

“Well.” Kinndy laughed and shrugged. “I’m a gnome. And It’s nice to meet you.” 

“And you.” Sylvanas offered easily. “You weren’t by any chance heading towards the food I’ve been smelling, were you?” 

“A woman after my own heart. I was, actually. And I’d love the chance to get to know this new woman in Jaina’s life.” 

Sylvanas froze. Her ears flicked back, and she was fairly certain her heart was in her throat. Kinndy noticed, of course. In fact, she’d been expecting that reaction. 

“Caught you. Don’t worry. Secret’s safe with me. She’s just been...smiling a lot lately. You know. You can tell.” 

Sylvanas relaxed, if only slightly. But her curiosity was peaked as she walked alongside Kinndy - having to take her steps in a much more measured manner than usual. “...Has she?” 

“Yes. It’s been...well. This isn’t my story to tell. I’m just glad she’s found a reason, again.” 

Sylvanas tried not to be too obvious about how pleased she was to hear this. If Kinndy could tell, she didn’t let on. In fact, Kinndy seemed content to steer the conversation away from Jaina while they tucked themselves away with some stew in the dining hall. 

Kinndy was much more interested in the stories Jaina had told her. 

“Now, tell me about these books of yours. Jaina couldn’t stop raving about them.” Kinndy finally broached the subject she was most interested in when Sylvanas had slowed her pace a bit on her third bowl of stew. 

“A great many of our books are...interactive, I guess you would say. Enchanted in a way that they will only properly respond within our borders.” There was one book that would, yes. But that was safely tucked away in Jaina’s rooms, only for her eyes to see. And Sylvanas couldn’t help the warm feeling that settled in her chest when she realized she hadn’t even shown her apprentice. 

“It seems wonderful,” Kinndy observed - a tinge of excitement in her voice. “Jaina said the Lord Regent might be willing to share that with us? It would be…oh, I can’t even tell you how wonderful. I think this place has a real shot, you know? The things Jaina has done with it...and if we could get people excited to learn?” 

“There is no 'might',” Sylvanas responded easily as she slathered a little butter on the last hunk of bread she’d chosen from what had been offered to her. She was eating less than usual. She had come to learn that humans ate very little compared to her kind, and she was trying desperately not to be a strain on their resources. But, Belore, she was starving. Between the food and the lack of the Sunwell’s energy, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep herself in good spirits. 

The hopeful look on Kinndy’s face was a boon, though. And her responding smile was warm and genuine. “I’m certain we should be able to supply you with all the learning materials you should need in short order.”

“I needed some good news today.” Kinndy sounded even more cheerful than she had prior, and Sylvanas found herself rather glad for it. “If...if it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition, I would love to see Silvermoon some day. I promise I’m more agreeable than Pained.” 

Sylvanas nearly spat out her ale in response to that. It wouldn’t have been much of a loss. It was rather weak and flat, but Sylvanas would never say such a thing out loud. 

“She takes some getting used to.” Kinndy continued with an amused little smirk. 

“We would love to have you.” Sylvanas finally said as she regained her composure. It was then that her attention turned. She was sensitive to magic, after all. And Jaina was nothing if not powerful. They looked at each other at once, and Jaina’s attention shifted from Sylvanas to Kinndy, and back again. 

She was grinning as she approached them, but she looked tired. Even Sylvanas could recognize that. 

“Fast friends, I see?” She said as she moved to sit on the bench next to Kinndy once she finally greeted everyone who needed her attention with a smile and a wave. 

“She said I could go to Silvermoon!” Kinndy responded with a self-pleased grin. 

“Kinndy, I said I would ask the next time I spoke with her…” 

“It’s no trouble at all,” Sylvanas said with a dismissive motion of her hand. For a while, they sat in silence. Kinndy - amused at the way Jaina and Sylvanas were struggling not to look at each other. Jaina and Sylvanas, well...trying not to look at each other. 

“I think I’m full.” Kinndy finally announced as she hopped down off the bench. 

Jaina offered her a look that was more of a ‘thank you’ than words could ever have been, and then finally turned her attention to Sylvanas - who was already waiting to meet her gaze. 

“Hello.” Sylvanas greeted, finally - her ears lifting slightly before they settled back where they had been. 

Jaina laughed quietly and shook her head, looking away as she willed the color out of her cheeks. “Ridiculous.”

“Not in the least,” Sylvanas said quietly. “I’ve thought of nothing but you all day.” 

“Odd.” Jaina looked down at the table and rested her hands in front of herself on top of it, though she didn’t dare reach for Sylvanas. Not here. Not yet. “My thoughts have been rather distracted today, as well.” 

“Would you go for a walk with me, then?” Sylvanas asked. The temptation of bridging the distance between their fingertips was real, but that’s all it was. Even as strong as this pull was, her mother and her sister had been right. Discretion was important. Especially with as many eyes as there were on them right now. 

“I have a quarter-hour at most,” Jaina said, her expression falling, but at the same time - hopeful. “I know it isn’t much. But I have dealings with the council before I’m free for the rest of the evening.” 

“I’ll take anything you’re willing to give happily.” 

Jaina was relieved. She wasn’t sure how the rest of the evening was going to go. A few stolen moments were more than she felt she deserved to ask for, but Sylvanas was already standing and fighting the urge to offer Jaina her arm. 

As much as they wanted to be closer, they kept their distance. It was incredible, the restraint they showed, really - as they walked in silence. Jaina led them down a few corridors. Further and further from the sounds of people. 

“Where are you taking me, Lady Proudmoore?” Sylvanas asked as she began walking a little nearer to her. 

“Somewhere private, Ranger-General,” Jaina responded, finally coming to a stop as a last corner took them to what looked to be an unfinished hallway, judging by the sawdust and the masonry stacked along the walls. 

“Whatever for?” Sylvanas asked, lifting one of her hands to trail the backs of her fingertips down along the side of Jaina’s face - tracing the line of her jaw as the corners of her lips quirked just so, and her eyes softened in the way that they had last night. 

“I was hoping you might want to kiss me,” Jaina admitted as she leaned back against the nearest wall. “If I’m being entirely honest.” Even that subtle touch against her jaw had her pulse quickening. Such a small thing, really. 

Maybe it was the way that it coupled with the grace of Sylvanas’s movements and the glow of her eyes. “If I’m being just as honest, I was very much hoping you might say that.” Sylvanas murmured, moving ever closer - until her body was a warm, solid presence against the front of Jaina’s.

There was something almost painfully beautiful in the way Sylvanas cradled her chin as she leaned in. There was something...something Jaina had never felt before as Sylvanas ran her lips along hers without really kissing her. Something that had her exhaling with a faint tremor, and Sylvanas smiling against her lips before she finally pressed them together. 

Sylvanas was surprised when Jaina grasped the edges of her jacket. She was even more surprised when Jaina slid her hands beneath it to feel along her sides. 

“We can go somewhere if you like,” Sylvanas whispered though she was already tracing the curves of Jaina’s breasts through her robes and lowering her head to brush her lips against the side of her neck. 

“I don’t have the time…” Jaina responded quietly. Breathlessly. 

Sylvanas moved her hands from where they were immediately and instead, found the small of Jaina’s back to pull her closer as she leaned into her. If it had been anyone else, she might have continued teasing her. She might have enjoyed knowing Jaina would want her all the more for it. 

But this wasn’t anyone else. And as terrifying as that thought was, Sylvanas didn’t pull away. And Jaina only tugged her closer until their breaths mingled in little gasps between their shallow, lingering kisses and the occasional tentative touches of tongues. 

“I’ve never wanted anyone like this.” Jaina finally whispered, and Sylvanas nodded her understanding. Maybe even her agreement. 

“How long do you have?” Sylvanas asked after a particularly hard dig of Jaina’s fingertips into her sides. Not that she minded. Not at all. 

“Ten minutes at best,” Jaina said with a furrow between her brow, and Sylvanas lowered her hand slowly as she held her gaze. 

“That’s plenty of time.” Sylvanas murmured, pressing the softest of kisses to the corner of Jaina’s mouth as she began lifting her robe along her thigh. “For you to have me.” 

Jaina glanced down in response to the first touch of Sylvanas’s fingertips along the inside of her knee and leaned the back of her head against the wall as she let any pretense of composure fall away and spread that thigh to the side at behest of Sylvanas’s questioning touch. Her arms, she wrapped around the General’s neck to draw her closer. To keep Sylvanas between herself and the rest of the corridor, despite its utter emptiness.

As if on cue, Sylvanas angled herself slightly. Only serving to further hide Jaina from view should someone approach. This was all for Jaina, of course, because Sylvanas would have heard an approach through these echoing halls in more than enough time. But now, as she slid her hand higher until her fingertips were met with the low band of Jaina’s undergarment, Jaina was much more at ease, and for that - Sylvanas was glad.

“Is this what you want?” Sylvanas asked as she brushed the delicate bridge of her nose along Jaina’s jaw towards her ear. Her fingers were already parting the mage - finding her maddeningly hot and wet and sensitive.

“I'm afraid this is as much as I can have in a hallway.” Jaina’s voice rasped slightly, and Sylvanas nipped her ear in response. “But it will have to do for now.” 

It wasn't, though. Even as Sylvanas began sliding wetness from Jaina’s core to slick over her clit, she moved her mouth lower - to the place where Jaina’s shoulder met the crook of her neck - and teased the younger woman with the very fangs Jaina found so alluring. 

Jaina froze, aside from the way her hips twitched and her knees almost gave out. Any movement she had any real control over had stopped rather suddenly as she was teased with a bite she had no hope Sylvanas would deliver.

Those marks were for serious things, Sylvanas had said. Not juvenile late-night trysts and hallway dalliances. Yet, Jaina could feel the sharpness against her skin. The pressure that came and went, even as her skin nearly gave way beneath it. There was no sucking. Nothing that would leave a real mark. No, this was meant to show Jaina that Sylvanas was thinking of it, too. That Sylvanas found the idea of having Jaina for her own - and for others to know it, too - arousing.

Yet, she was glad the biting stayed light. She was glad Sylvanas’s fingers were deft and quick and had her spilling over the edge in mere moments. 

Because what came after was what Jaina wanted most and expected least. An almost heart-wrenching display of tenderness. From the little kerchief, Sylvanas produced from a pocket in her jacket for Jaina to dry herself with to the hand that rested against her chest and somehow guided her into taking calmer, steadier breaths. 

It was soft. Thoughtful. Perfect. And Jaina wanted to bask in the glow of Sylvanas’s attention like this for hours. But she also wanted to return it. Desperately. 

Jaina began working at the buckle of the belt that hung low around the other woman's hips, and it was Sylvanas that stopped her going further as she ran a soothing touch along her side and began to pull away, albeit reluctantly. “You have prior engagements to tend to.” She reminded Jaina gently. “And I am not one of them.” 

Jaina nodded faintly and sighed. “You're right, of course.” She spent the next short while straightening her robes and gathering her composure as Sylvanas watched her and occasionally reached out to tame a loose strand of hair. 

“Will I still see you tonight?” The General finally asked quietly once it seemed the mage was once again content with her appearance.

“Yes. Yes, of course.” Jaina responded as though any response to the contrary was ludicrous. But then she sobered, and Sylvanas’s ears fell back slightly.

“There is something on your mind.” She observed in a quiet murmur.

“There is far too much on my mind.” Jaina corrected her gently, though she reached for one of Sylvanas's hands to trace along the callouses on her palm. “Would you promise me something?”

“I would listen to what you were asking, and then decide,” Sylvanas replied simply, not allowing any emotion to bleed into her tone. She could tell Jaina was on edge, and that was enough for her to set her own concerns aside. 

“That when we speak tonight, you will truly let me speak. That you will listen to what I have to say to you, and to the reasons for it.”

“An easy promise.” Sylvanas gave Jaina the most reassuring smile she could muster, despite how heavily and quickly the implication of those words weighed on her.

And continued to weigh on her well into the evening. Until the hour Jaina said she was likely to be free. Even Alleria had noticed and kept her remarks light over dinner until, finally, she was lying across her bed watching her younger sister change.

“Will you be back before morning?”

“Before morning, yes. How soon, I'm unsure.” Sylvanas answered simply as she laced the front of her breeches without looking over at Alleria.

“Mm. Are things not going well?” Alleria asked quietly.

“They are going fine, thank you. Why are you so concerned?” Sylvanas asked flatly as she tugged her shirt on over her head and tucked it loosely into the waistband of her pants. 

“No reason. Send the Lady my regards.” 

Sylvanas cast a suspicious glance in Alleria’s direction, but she was far too worked up to dig any deeper.

The walk to Jaina’s rooms in the darkened hallways seemed strangely long. Strangely cold. More so than usual, anyway.

But then, Sylvanas absolutely hated being uncertain. And she couldn't remember the last time she was so uncertain. 

Even the way she knocked. Softly, and only once - was uncertain.

The half-hearted smile and glass of wine Jaina offered her when she first stepped into the mage’s rooms did little to acquiesce this fear.

“Mana wine,” Jaina said quietly. “I know you must be hurting, even if you aren't letting it show.”

Sylvanas looked down at the glass. She could feel its potency through her fingertips, and she knew Jaina had likely infused it herself. It almost felt like her. Like the beacon that stood in front of her, now - looking like anything but a beacon. 

She looked as nervous as Sylvanas felt.

“Jaina, if you wish to stop this that's between us, you can tell me now,” Sylvanas said as she placed the glass aside. It had been difficult to let it go, and that was a strange feeling in and of itself. 

“I don't want that at all,” Jaina said, sighing as Sylvanas refused to drink what had been offered her. “It's only that I think you deserve the truth if we are to continue it. I've no doubt of the reasons your mother sent you here. But you don't know why I first came to you and your people, and for that, I owe you an explanation.”

A flash of worry - perhaps even preemptive hurt - was hidden in Sylvanas’s features as quickly as it had come. “I'm listening. I gave you my word that I would.” 

“Would you sit with me?” Jaina asked, wincing inwardly at the sound of her own voice wavering.

“I would prefer to stand,” Sylvanas said quietly, watching carefully as Jaina tried to gather her thoughts.

“That's fair, of course. I…” Jaina trailed off, then. Flashes of memory raced through her mind. Of Sylvanas’s hands on her skin. Of the gentle, endlessly patient lover behind the mask Sylvanas had suddenly pulled back on. “Arthas and I were together. A courtship. When we were younger. He wasn't the same. You have to believe me when I tell you that I no longer know him. I didn't even know him at Stratholme. He wasn't the boy that I grew up with. He wasn't the young prince that I thought I might some day give my heart to.” 

Sylvanas’s ears had sunk almost to her skull. “And what does that have to do with why you came to Quel’thalas?” She asked the question so softly that Jaina almost had to strain to hear her.

Jaina swallowed thickly. “You turned him back when no one else could.” She continued, averting her gaze when she saw realization begin to dawn in Sylvanas’s eyes. “We aren't strong enough alone to finish it. I thought...I thought your people might aid us. Might...might aid me. It was never about trade. It was always about Northrend. I never saw you coming. I never saw this coming. And I'm so, so sorry.” 

Sylvanas had never felt this feeling before. The feeling of her heart trying to escape her body by tearing its way through the cage of her ribs. She had never felt like she was a fool and yet, here she stood. Cheeks burning darkly and her eyes glistening behind the safety of the glow in them. A fool.

“This isn't a request I can grant alone.” Sylvanas finally responded. “I'm certain my mother would...the Lord Regent would be glad of the additional troops, no matter how scant. You needn't have...you could have just…”

Jaina had never heard Sylvanas slip this hard. She'd never seen her stumble so terribly. And she hated herself for it in that moment. “Sylvanas-”

“Do you love him?” Sylvanas demanded, suddenly, her delicate brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed slightly. Jaina knew she deserved the accusatory tone. Yet, it did nothing to quell the panic in her that was steadily rising. “That monster? That _thing?_ who razed our borders and murdered our children? You would _use_ me to get to him?”

Jaina shook her head desperately. “Sylvanas, please. You promised. You promised you would listen. I know you're angry. You have all the right in the world to be angry. But I don't. It has been years since I loved him. Even him. The real him and not what he is, now. Even then, it was nothing compared to...to…” 

Jaina took a step forward, and Sylvanas took a step back. “This wasn't supposed to happen. Please believe me when I say that I have been certain for years that I no longer had it in me to feel the way that I feel about you.”

Sylvanas could barely hear Jaina over the sound of her own pulse hammering in her ears. 

“Sylvanas, if you told me no - if you and your people decided not to give chase - how I feel wouldn't change. He has caused me to lose so much. I can't bear to lose you, too.”

“I'm going to go.” Sylvanas finally responded, already moving towards the door she'd never made it very far from. “I should go to my rooms. I'm in no state of mind to...I have to go.” 

“I'm sorry. I'll be here when you are.” Jaina said as she followed Sylvanas towards the door, but stayed put when the other woman made it to the hallway. 

Jaina caught sight of Sylvanas’s retreating form just in time to see her lifting a hand to her face to wipe a stray tear that had finally broken the dam before she rounded the next corner and disappeared. 

Sylvanas hadn't broken her promise, even in the face of all that Jaina had said. She'd listened. She'd allowed Jaina the time to explain. Jaina just wasn't sure it was enough. What she was sure of, however, was that seeing Sylvanas in such a state because of her was terrible. Overwhelmingly so. 

But then, it was always a terrible thing to hurt someone you love. That's what this was, after all. And that made it so much worse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alleria was smiling as she turned around to face the slowly-opening door to her rooms, but her smile - meant for someone else, entirely - fell when she saw the state her sister was in.

“Lady Moon…” Alleria said the name quietly as she moved across the room to her and reached out to hold the sides of her tear-streaked face. “Oh, Sylvanas...come here.” 

Quicker than Sylvanas knew what was happening, she was enveloped in the strength of her sister’s arms. And for once, she allowed it. She allowed Alleria to guide her over to the bed and stroke through her hair until the tears dried and Alleria sighed her relief. 

“Now, talk to me. Why the tears? Hm?” Alleria sounded so much like their mother, then. It almost started Sylvanas up all over again.

Sylvanas shook her head, at first. But, after a few slow, measured breaths - she managed to begin explaining. By the time she finished, Alleria was both sympathetic and bemused. 

“Lady Moon...you know I love you more than anything in this world, but I’m afraid you may be overreacting.” 

Sylvanas’s ears sank even further than they’d already been hanging. “I haven’t ever felt like this.” She admitted with her eyes glued to the floor. 

“Why, exactly, do you feel the way you do?” Alleria asked carefully as she continued stroking across her sister’s back slowly. Soothingly. 

“She lied.” Sylvanas shrugged faintly as her voice broke over the word, and she cleared her throat as quietly as she could. “And...I don’t know. I thought…”

“Sylvanas, she didn’t lie. She omitted the truth, yes. But if you were looking at this from a political standpoint, you would see that it was in her and her peoples’ best interest to first ally, and then request aid. I feel rather strongly that if she’d meant to bed her way into Silvermoon she’d have chosen someone more agreeable, don’t you?” 

Sylvanas’s brows furrowed and she turned a wounded look in her sister’s direction. 

“Don’t look at me like that. I only tell you what’s true. You know that. You’re hurt. I know you are. And I understand why. But don’t you think she’d have kept right on with you if she saw that as a real way in? Instead, she’s risked everything to tell you the truth. I think you’re looking for things that aren’t there because you’re scared, Sylvanas. And it’s okay to be scared. But if you want my opinion...don’t walk because of this. Or...you know. Literally walk. Cool off. Then go to her.” 

“What am I even supposed to say?” Sylvanas asked quietly. “I’m mad. I can’t just...make that go away.” 

“Sylvanas, can I ask you something?”

“Mm.”

“How many hearts do you think you’ve broken?” Alleria’s gaze was steady as it was leveled on her sister. Not accusatory. Just...a look that wasn’t to be argued with. 

“I haven’t,” Sylvanas said the words, but she knew they weren’t true. They both did. And maybe that was the moment Sylvanas realized what Alleria was getting at. 

“And you never thought the tables would turn. You’ve never been vulnerable, Syl. You’ve never been vulnerable with a woman, and you’re on such high alert, any and everything feels like a warning sign.” 

“Fuck.” Sylvanas sighed and hung her head into her hands, and Alleria smiled faintly. 

“You’re okay. Take that walk. Think it over, just don’t overthink it. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Sylvanas. I don’t know what she’s looking at, but if I had to guess - I’d guess some sort of otherworldly goddess. Certainly not my little sister. She looks at you as though you’re Belore incarnate and the sun itself rises only for you.” 

Sylvanas’s face was flushed, again. Only this time, it wasn’t in anger or hurt. 

“Do you want to know something else?”

Sylvanas looked at her, then, and Alleria scrunched her nose at her in response. “That’s exactly how you look at her, too.” 

Sylvanas exhaled through her nose and slowly stood from the bed when Alleria’s hand finally fell from her back. 

“I think I’ll take that walk.” Sylvanas finally said. 

“Good. I think that’s for the best.” 

Alleria hadn’t even made it to the door before there was a knock at it, and Sylvanas tensed as Alleria’s ears flew back and her eyes shot in her direction. 

“Who…” 

Another knock, and Alleria grimaced as she opened the door. 

Pained’s eyes darted from Alleria to Sylvanas, then back to Alleria. “This was the time we had arranged…” 

Alleria held up a hand and winced, and Pained went quiet. 

Sylvanas brushed past both of them into the safe-haven of the corridor beyond muttering something about ‘the time we had arranged’ on her way, and Alleria smiled apologetically at Pained. 

“Apologies.” Pained said quietly, and Alleria shook her head. 

“None needed. You couldn’t have known.” 

“Another time?” Pained asked with a faint tilt of her head as her lips curled into an easy, attractive smile. 

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. Tonight is just fine.” 

“To my rooms instead, then, perhaps?” Pained asked as she reached out to touch along the braid of Alleria’s hair, giving the feathers adorning the end of it a gentle tug. 

“Probably would have been a slightly better plan than this one, actually…” Alleria responded with a weak laugh. 

“My mistake.” Pained murmured quietly, their mixed and mingled language rolling easily from her tongue. “Let me make it up to you.”


	12. Let Morning Come

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Pained only turned her head in Alleria’s direction slightly as she held the door of her room open for her. Just enough to catch the glance Alleria gave her before she stepped inside.

The room was nicer, of course, than the guest quarters she was sharing with her sister. A single, large bed against one wall - furs placed over the floors to keep them warm. There was even a fire burning in the hearth, illuminating the sparse decorations. A set of shelves with a few books. A tapestry on the far wall. 

“Do you have many women here?” Alleria asked idly as she moved towards the fireplace and traced her fingertips along the mantle. 

“Yes.” Pained responded, her voice low and quiet. “But not for quite some time.” 

The corners of Alleria’s lips curled slightly and she turned to face Pained, only to find her closer than she’d expected her to be. It was impressive, just how quiet she could be for someone built so...ruggedly. 

“Well, you have a woman here, now.” Alleria murmured as Pained took the last few steps towards her and looked down at her with her eyes half-lidded. Before she spoke again, Alleria lifted her hand and touched along Pained’s jaw, finding a scar near her chin and letting her thumb rest there. “What do you intend to do with her?” 

Pained leaned down, and Alleria’s hand shifted to touch along her ear and then the back of her head in turn when she was close enough. Her lips were very near to Alleria’s by the time she stopped moving. But only for a moment, before she parted them faintly and claimed them in a soft, warm kiss as her hand came to tilt Alleria’s chin. 

“I intend to bring her pleasure.” Pained’s voice was husky as her breath ghosted against Alleria’s lips. “I intend to taste more of her because her lips are exquisite.” 

“Is that all?” Alleria asked coyly, hooking her fingertips into the waistband of Pained’s breeches and pulling her closer. 

“Oh, no. Not at all.” Pained responded easily, lowering both her hands to the hem of Alleria’s shirt and drawing it up and over her breasts so she could cup them and toy with the woman’s hardening nipples. She didn’t elaborate right away. She took her time kissing her way along Alleria’s jaw until she reached her ear and exhaled against it. “I intend to fuck her thoroughly.”

“I can work with that,” Alleria whispered, giving the laces of Pained’s breeches a firm tug and delving her hands into the back of them to grip her ass firmly. “Think you can handle me?” 

“Oh, I think so.” Within the span of a single breath after that statement, Pained lifted Alleria with an utter lack of effort, and Alleria was happy to wrap her legs around Pained’s waist. Happy to be able to run her hands along long, sensitive ears now that she could reach them. 

“It’s been a while for me, too,” Alleria admitted with a smirk once she found herself beneath Pained on the bed with a little less wind left in her lungs. 

“Oh?” Pained asked as she buried her face in Alleria’s neck and threatened vulnerable skin in the most exquisite way with long, sharp fangs. “How long?” A sudden pinch to both Alleria’s nipples at once threatened to drive what was left of her breath from her, but she only laughed. A low, deep laugh that Pained found she enjoyed very much. 

“_Days…_” Alleria mourned, pulling her own shirt the rest of the way over her head as Pained did the same for herself. 

“Oh, the world can be so cruel.” Pained gave Alleria’s pants a tug, then - and she didn’t stop until both boots and breeches were discarded on the floor next to the bed. It was difficult, admittedly, considering the fact that Alleria was working on disrobing her at the same time. 

“Oh, Belore, I know you know how good you look.” Alleria husked as her eyes raked over Pained’s chiseled and scarred form.

“Perhaps I do.” Pained agreed as she took a moment to levy her own appreciation in Alleria’s direction. “I’m sure you’re aware of yourself, as well.”

“Quite. Neither of us is a stranger to the body of a fighter. Maybe we should put the pleasantries aside.” 

Pained found Alleria’s idea of ‘pleasantries’ amusing. She smiled as a result, and moved across the bed towards her, not giving the younger woman much time at all to adapt as she turned her onto her stomach and pressed her into the bed. Her answer was a single bite to the back of her shoulder. Not hard enough to break the skin. But hard enough that Alleria canted her ass up against the solidness of Pained’s hips and made a noise that was a mixture of a grunt and a moan into the pillow her face had landed against. 

Alleria hadn’t been with many people as strong as Pained. She’d certainly never been with someone who dared toss her around like this, and gods was she wet. Gods, were her thighs already trembling as Pained moved to sit between them and leaned back - pulling Alleria with herself until Pained’s mouth was nestled firmly and squarely between her legs. 

For the first few moments, Alleria held herself up on shaking arms as Pained sucked and licked at her clit rather relentlessly. The stimulation was far too direct and aggressive to bring her close to an orgasm, and Alleria was certain it was intentional. Especially since Pained was holding onto her hips too firmly for her to pull them away. But it was good. It was so good to be with someone who wasn’t afraid to push her past her limits. To work her to the point of stars darting before her eyes until her arms could no longer hold her. 

But that was no loss, either. The minute she fell down to her elbows, she wrapped her hands around the undersides of Pained’s thigh and delivered a teasing bite to the soft skin above her clit. 

Pained hissed against her, but spread her legs nonetheless - giving Alleria more than enough room. And Alleria wasn’t one to ignore such an advantage. She had Pained’s hips jerking almost as quickly as Pained had hers only moments earlier. 

But the distraction they were each providing each other was enough that they each relaxed into a less frenzied, more natural pace. Slow enough that Alleria could appreciate the long, steady strokes of Pained’s tongue against her clit, and Pained could, in turn, appreciate Alleria’s sucking against her own. 

They were both breathing heavily whenever they could. They were both leaving crescents and little bruises with their nails and fingertips in each other’s thighs. 

Pained surprised both of them by coming first. But Alleria was glad for it, as a series of low moans against her clit when Pained refused to let up caused her to gasp her own pleasure out against the Night Elf’s thigh until she finally pulled forward onto shaking arms and collapsed with her flushed face against Pained’s hips. 

Pained lay there for a while, basking in both her own pleasure and the subtle weight of Alleria and the feeling of her gasping for breath. She even stroked her hands along the lengths of Alleria’s thighs for a while before the younger woman finally pulled herself up and turned to lay the right way on top of her.

“That was an impressive start.” Alleria murmured quietly as she ran her thumb across Pained’s glistening lips to clean them. “What now?”

“I promised you thorough fucking, didn’t I?” Pained asked as she spun some of Alleria’s now even-wilder hair in her fingers. 

“That, you did. I’m looking forward to it.” Alleria responded in a near-purr. 

“My harness is in the chest at the foot of the bed. Would you be so kind as to retrieve it for me?” 

“You’re really making me work for it, aren’t you?” Alleria asked, despite the fact that she was already slipping from the bed to do just that. 

Alleria had expected Pained to be good. That quiet confidence she carried herself with didn’t leave room for many other possible outcomes. But she was _good_. She had Alleria against the headboard. On her back. On her hands and knees. But even Pained got tired enough to need a moment. 

And Alleria was all too happy to push her onto the bed and climb on top to give her a much-needed break. 

It was a long time before either of them would finally admit the defeat that came with needing to take a moment. Before Alleria was panting hoarsely against Pained’s shoulder, the toy attached to her harness still buried to the hilt in her where she’d been riding it. 

But her thighs would no longer cooperate. Her hips ached, and her skin was far too slick with sweat even for her own liking. 

“Tired?” Pained asked quietly, sounding just as breathless as Alleria was. Despite the aching in her arms from the rest of their rather rambunctious activities, she was still holding Alleria enough that she didn’t have to support much of her own weight. 

“You caught me.” Alleria managed to whisper, also managing a weak kiss to one of the dark bruises she’d left along Pained’s shoulder. Both of them were a bit worse for wear. Scratches, bites, over-used muscles. 

Oh, it was just right. Just the right amount of ache and sting to sate them both into a near-stupor. 

“I’ll draw a bath.” Pained offered weakly, though she made no move to get up. 

“I’m in no hurry, but a bath sounds...so good.” 

“Shouldn’t you be checking in on your sister at some point? She seemed…”

“She’s fine,” Alleria reassured quietly. Another kiss. This one, to the corner of Pained’s jaw before she tilted her head up and toyed with the ridge of her ear. 

“You’re going to get me going again.” Pained warned with a little smirk. 

“That’s fine, too. After I’ve bathed and had some water.” 

“Perfect.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sylvanas hadn’t stopped shivering in what felt like years. It was freezing in the courtyard she’d found herself in. Freezing...and then raining. She was soaked to the bone by the time she managed to find her way back, and even the minor relief of the staircase up to Jaina’s rooms wasn’t a true relief.

Her ears stung so badly it felt like they were on fire. She was even struggling to navigate the steps - making much more noise than she intended to on her way to the landing Jaina’s rooms were on. 

She was almost certain she’d never be warm again by the time she made it to Jaina’s door and knocked more frantically than she’d intended to. 

Jaina, who had been practicing her words for the better part of the evening, now, couldn’t get to the door quickly enough. But her apologies fell silent on her lips the minute she saw Sylvanas - still dripping with water and trying to will her body into some semblance of stillness. 

“Gods...Sylvanas...you…” Jaina’s eyes were wide as she tugged Sylvanas into her room and, in a flurry of movement and a flash of magic, the fire in the fireplace roared with renewed heat and vigor all while Jaina was dragging her towards it. “What happened?!” 

“I w-went...for...fuck…” Sylvanas was huddled so close to the fire, Jaina was worried her cloak was going to catch if it got dry enough, so she shook her shoulders gently to get her attention. 

“I’ll get you something dry. We’ll talk when you’re warm. Okay?” 

Sylvanas nodded and winced when Jaina reached for her too-red ears to wrap her hands around them gently. 

“Why were you out there?” Jaina asked in a shaky whisper. “Huh? It’s pouring out there.” 

Sylvanas shook her head and Jaina had to stop her from moving even closer to the fire. 

“Okay. Okay. Dry clothes.” Jaina repeated before rushing towards her wardrobe to find something that would fit her passably. When she turned around, the last thing she expected to see was a pile of sodden clothing and a very naked Ranger-General wringing her hair out over it. 

She had to remind herself that now was not the time for this. Now was not the time to be shocked by newly revealed muscles and scars. Not when she could almost hear Sylvanas’s teeth chattering. 

Jaina grabbed a towel on her way over, if only to cover Sylvanas up. But she ended up helping her dry herself - her surprise all but forgotten when Sylvanas huddled close to her while she dried her. 

When all was said and done, Jaina had carried most of her available blankets over to the hearth and wrapped them both in them, because Sylvanas seemed entirely disinclined to stray very far from her. 

After a while, Jaina reached for a pitcher she’d placed near the fire along with a mug and filled it, pressing the warm vessel into the pitiful-looking General’s hands. “Mulled mana cider,” Jaina explained quietly as she lightly covered Sylvanas’s still-chilly hands with her own. “You aren’t just cold. You didn’t provision for the lack of your Sunwell?” 

Sylvanas took a deep sip that went a long way in regards to feeling actual warmth, again, though her head still hung slightly afterward. “Of course, we did. My sister offered me some. I was...upset. Not thinking clearly. I was only trying to go for a walk.”

“Sylvanas, I’ve been thinking over what I was going to say to you if you gave me the chance. I’ve thought it over and over and over in my head. I...didn’t expect you to show up half-dead. I didn’t expect how it would make me feel to see you like this.”

Sylvanas swallowed thickly. “I can find somewhere else to be.” She whispered as she looked down at the cup in her hands. 

“No…” Jaina whispered urgently, reaching for Sylvanas and stroking some of the damp hair from her eyes. “If it had been anyone else, I’d have told them they were an idiot, given them some tea and a towel, and laughed about it. With you...gods. I can’t remember the last time I was in such a panic, and for such a small thing. Logically, I knew you’d been out in the wet. I know you don’t do well in the cold and that you’re far from home. From the magics that you’re used to. But I was so panicked…”

Sylvanas’s eyes had lifted to meet Jaina’s while she was speaking, and she only just managed to reach up fast enough to wipe a tear from the mage’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Jaina. I’m sorry.” 

“I’m the one that’s sorry.” Jaina’s reply was almost desperate in its earnestness. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I’m sorry it upset you. I...I know you probably aren’t used to that. Gods, look at you. You could likely have whoever you want and here I am-”

“Perfect.” Sylvanas cut her off as she moved her hand so her fingertips were against Jaina’s lips for a moment. “Perfect. Like no one else has ever been. You did what you had to do and you said what you needed to say. You could have kept that from me and gotten what you wanted so easily. You risked that to tell me the truth.” 

Sylvanas placed the cup aside, already feeling the effects of it, and appreciating that fact more than she ever could have expressed at that moment. 

“I’m still sorry, Sylvanas. And I still need to tell you that none of this was a lie. That none of this was meant to happen. I never meant to fall for you.” Jaina trailed off, then, and her face fell. The words had come unbidden. But she’d meant them. Gods...she’d meant them. 

Yet, Sylvanas didn’t pull away. She didn’t look shocked or angry or uncomfortable. She just pressed a kiss to her forehead and then her temple before she spoke. “I didn’t mean to fall for you, either. Yet I’ve never fallen so hard, so fast.” 

Jaina let out a nervous, breathy little sound that was almost like a laugh, and wrapped an arm around Sylvanas rather quickly as she drew in a breath. 

“And I’ll work on my...tantrums.” Sylvanas faltered on that last word in a way that lightened the heaviness in the air, and Jaina nodded and managed an actual laugh, this time. 

“And you’ll go to bed with me tonight?” Jaina asked quietly before she kissing her. Oh, it was so good to kiss her. It was so good to be kissed back.

“What about the morning?” Sylvanas asked though she wanted, more than anything, to crawl into Jaina’s bed and sleep in the warmth and comfort of it and its owner. 

“Let the morning come, Sylvanas.”

“And what of your people?” Sylvanas asked quietly. 

“Well, they’re bound to find out, yes? Besides, I have wards in place.” 

“I didn’t activate them when I came here. Are you certain?” Sylvanas asked with a faint furrow of her brow. 

“Of course, you didn’t. Why would I ward my rooms against you?” Jaina offered Sylvanas a smile and then stood, helping her up at the same time. 

A short while later, Jaina’s head was on Sylvanas’s shoulder, and Sylvanas’s hand was threading slowly through her hair. Hair that, every now and then, Sylvanas would graze her lips against. “Would that I could fall asleep every night knowing that I would wake with you in my arms come morning…” Sylvanas murmured quietly, already more than half-asleep. 

“That sounded like another of your poems…” Jaina mumbled into her shoulder, still touching along her stomach every now and then beneath the heavy winter blankets she’d dragged back to the bed to cover them with. 

“Mm. I prefer poems of truth to poems of fantastical things.” Sylvanas whispered. “Though, you are very much a fantastical thing.” 

“And do you think you aren’t?” Jaina asked, turning her head just enough to kiss the other woman’s shoulder. 

Sylvanas made a little noise in the back of her throat. Perhaps amusement. Perhaps something else. But she was too asleep for Jaina to question her. Then again, Jaina was drifting off, as well. 

And she was looking forward to the morning, too. So much more than she’d looked forward to a morning in such a long time.


	13. A Worthy Opponent

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Mother,_

_As you asked of me, I have given the matter at hand great consideration. Over the course of the past three weeks, I have come to realize there is gravity to the feelings I have for Lady Proudmoore. I am also acutely aware of the possible political consequences such a union could create for both of us. _

_However, if this is a risk you feel weighs evenly enough against any possible benefit, I would like your blessing in this matter. I would like to invite Lady Proudmoore to Silvermoon as my personal guest before I ask her for her answer. _

_I wouldn't, however, ask her anything at all without your express consent. My duty and my loyalty lie with my people first and foremost, as always._

_I hope this letter finds you well and doesn't cause you undue stress. _

_You are in my thoughts. Please send Liadrin my love._

_-S. Windrunner_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sylvanas hadn't slept at all. 

That much, Alleria could tell as she watched her sister fret over some fletching on her bed, hyper-focused on a task she knew Sylvanas could have completed with her eyes closed.

“Sylvanas, I'm sure Mother already knew that letter was coming.” She finally said as she turned onto her side so she wouldn't have to strain to look over. “I don't understand why you're so nervous.”

“I'm not nervous.” Sylvanas countered just a little too quickly before sliding her arrow back into the quiver beside her bed with a heavy sigh. “I haven't talked to Jaina yet, and we're only here another day. I'm not certain what to do if I don't receive word from Mother first.” 

“You just sent it through the portal this afternoon, Sylvanas. Give it time.” As amused as Alleria was at the entire situation, she had also never seen her sister...nervous before. And she had enough sense that her sympathy outweighed her willingness to give Sylvanas a hard time about it.

As if on cue, however, there was a knock at their door. Sylvanas lept to her feet and rushed towards it before Alleria even had time to speak, and she opened it only to frown when she saw no one.

“Down here.” A familiar voice from around her knees. Ah, yes. Kinndy.

“Letter came through our portal system for you. Royal seal and all. I figured I should get it to you as soon as possible.”

Sylvanas offered up her best attempt at a polite, unaffected smile when she took the sealed parchment from the little mage. “Thank you very much, Kinndy.” 

Kinndy stood there for a moment after a smile and a nod, glancing from Sylvanas to the letter and back again before she finally disappeared down the hallway and, incidentally, directly towards Jaina’s rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_My Dearest One, _

_Your letter has, in fact, found me well. Liadrin sends her warmest regards. _

_As far as your potential courtship goes, I find the prospect agreeable. I have long wondered when and even if you would find a suitable woman. Lady Proudmoore is wise beyond her years, fiercely intelligent in her negotiations, and she is quite beautiful. She could also offer us much in the way of future alliances and prosperity. Theramore’s location is nearly invaluable. All of these things are plain enough to see._

_These were not the reasons that have swayed me. _

_In Jaina, I see the likelihood of great loyalty to you. I see the way you smile and I know there is only one thing on your mind. Or one person, rather. _

_This is what swayed me. The hope that you might find fulfillment. Might find happiness, after having given so much of yourself to our kingdom. _

_What I see in Jaina Proudmoore is the potential to be your equal in all things. _

_Something my stubborn, thick-headed, brilliant daughter sorely needs from time to time. _

_And you are ever in my thoughts, as well. Of that, you can be certain. Know, also, that you have my blessing. In this and in all things._

_-L. Windrunner_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you think it was?” Jaina asked as she sorted through the various correspondence Kinndy had brought to her. Kinndy wasn't usually a courier, but...these were sensitive matters to be handled by only the most trusted individuals. Jaina was in love, after all.

“Royal seal? I would imagine only a council or her mother would use that. And she's due back in, what, a day? Wouldn't a council wait for her return to address her?” 

“Unless they're being attacked or there is something else going on serious enough to warrant that, I would assume so.” Jaina responded as she decided everything Kinndy had brought her could most likely wait. “But none of this means anything, of course.”

“You're joking, right?” Kinndy asked rather impatiently as she pulled herself up into the chair in front of Jaina’s desk. “She's about to leave, sends an urgent letter home the night before her departure, and the Regent Lord herself responds just hours later and you think none of that means anything?”

“What I mean to say is that I highly doubt it means anything regarding me, personally.” Jaina sounded rather reserved as she spoke, but Kinndy wasn't buying it. Not in the least. 

“Let's agree to disagree, then,” Kinndy responded with a little huff before she hopped back off the chair and began heading towards the door.

Jaina frowned and let out a sigh. “Kinndy, wait…” 

Her apprentice turned around, then, and looked at her expectantly. 

“Forgive my shortness. It's only that my nerves are getting the better of me. I...I'm scared of what will happen when she goes home. I'm scared I've let myself in too deep.” 

“I know, Jaina.” Kinndy pursed her lips and looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at Jaina. “I’ve only met her once, and I'm the last person to make any promises. But I don't think…”

“I know she's not like him,” Jaina said quickly, offering Kinndy a smile that was reassuring enough, at least, that she left feeling a little relieved. 

“I hope she's not like him…” Jaina murmured to herself once she was alone, deciding to lower her forehead against her arms instead of continuing what she'd been working on. 

She didn't realize Kinndy had left the door cracked. That Sylvanas was standing there looking at her with concern etched onto her fingers. At least, not until she heard the woman clear her throat in the doorway and looked up to find her standing there, resplendent and too close to perfect for words in her leathers and cloak with her hood lowered so that her hair hung freely around her shoulders.

Sylvanas smiled faintly but didn't move to enter the room just yet. “I passed your apprentice in the hallway. Perhaps your door is too heavy for her to shut. Would you like for me to close it so that I can knock?”

“No. No, of course not.” Jaina sighed with a weak little laugh, gesturing for Sylvanas to come in. She found it strange that the other woman would sit in the very chair Kinndy had been in. So formal. So far away from her. Jaina's expression sobered into a more serious one, and she reached for the decanter on her desk to busy herself. “Some wine?” 

Sylvanas nodded faintly and took the glass from Jaina’s hands once it was filled, and she frowned when she realized they were shaking. “Jaina, has something happened? Is this a bad time?”

“No, not at all.” Jaina moved her hands into her lap and watched Sylvanas look down at her untouched wine. “You're leaving tomorrow…”

“I am,” Sylvanas affirmed as she adjusted her seat and ran her fingertips along the rim of the glass she was holding. “That's why I'm here.”

“I'm not sure I understand,” Jaina said, her voice so steady she was impressing even herself. There was something about the way Sylvanas was acting that had Jaina preparing herself for the worst.

“I want to invite you to Silvermoon as my personal guest on a private visit, instead of a political one. To be spent largely with me, and partially with my family. I mean to ask you if you would consider entering into a courtship with me. One with every intention of coming to fruition if we each decide we would be suitable for each other. I would wait to hear your answer after your time in Quel'Thalas. After you've had a chance to speak with my mother, to whom I still answer. She expressed her approval in our most recent correspondence, of course. But heads of state usually have some sort of negotiation regarding political unions and I am the odd man out in that regard. You are your own, and my mother is mine.” 

Jaina was stunned. At all of it, really. At the calmness in Sylvanas’s voice, despite the fact that she seemed almost unable to look at her. At the almost rehearsed way that she spoke. And not least of all at the fact that she'd just asked Jaina to court her, and to be courted by her in return. Sure, it was a process that could take years - but a process with an end goal, nonetheless. A very serious end goal. 

Yet, all Jaina wanted to do was throw her arms around Sylvanas in response. To kiss the stiffness out of her shoulders and hold her until the insecurities the General was feeling had no choice but to flee. But she couldn't. Sylvanas had set this tone, and quite firmly at that. A tone of realism. A tone lacking the infatuation and dream-like state they fell into whenever they were alone together, now.

“I see,” Jaina responded. “Then...there are things. Eventualities that we need to address. Not least of which, the fact that if this were to end in marriage, I would not leave Theramore.” 

Sylvanas nodded faintly. “And I could never leave Quel'Thalas…” Sylvanas licked her lips, then. The only sign there was any nervousness beneath her composure. “We would not have a conventional relationship by any means.”

“And would we, even if there was no distance between us?” Jaina mused as she leaned against one of the arms of her chair and searched Sylvanas's face. “Were you to marry someone who lived right there in Silvermoon, she would spend half her time waiting for you. Much the same could be said for me. The only reason you've seen so much of me on this visit is because I have made a distinct effort to not be needed elsewhere.”

“True enough.” Sylvanas agreed, looking down at her own carefully manicured fingernails for a moment and then back up at Jaina. “Then you'll consider it?”

“Will you?” Jaina countered, sounding suddenly earnest. “Will you do me the courtesy of knowing me and not running from what you find after I've already given all of myself to you?” 

“I don't run from anything,” Sylvanas responded quietly, yet adamantly.

“You don't, do you?” Jaina asked as her brow furrowed and she clenched her jaw. “You run headfirst into everything, utterly confident that you will come out unscathed despite the scars you're covered in.”

Sylvanas didn't know what to say to that. It felt oddly like an attack, suddenly. Especially considering how vulnerable she was already feeling. “If you don't want this…”

“I want this more than I should,” Jaina admitted as her face fell and her shoulders sagged slightly. “I want to believe my brave knight in shining armor has come to make me feel worthy of love and acceptance. But I fear she doesn't know what she's sweeping off her feet.”

“Then tell me.” Sylvanas sounded oddly urgent as she leaned forward and reached for Jaina’s hands, pulling them towards herself over the desk to hold them in her own. “Please, tell me.”

“Pained told you about Hyjal,” Jaina said as she looked down at their joined hands for a moment before reluctantly pulled her own away. “Did she tell you what happened to my father?” 

Sylvanas shook her head. 

“He died because of me, Sylvanas. He followed me here to Theramore, and he never went home. Because of me.”

“I'm sure that isn't true, Jaina…”

“But it is, Sylvanas. I put my people...and possible allies before my own father. You should know that before this goes any further. You should know the type of person I am. What I've done.”

“Would you tell me what happened before you make any of my own decisions for me?” Sylvanas asked, keeping her hands close to Jaina despite the fact that they were now empty.

Sylvanas remained quiet while Jaina explained the events that unfolded from the time her father found her to the time of his death. She was torn. She couldn't imagine a father treating his daughter in such a fashion. She couldn't imagine being so consumed by something. 

Yet, the orcish and troll allies Jaina spoke of were a hard pill to swallow. In fact, Sylvanas was so quiet when Jaina finished speaking, Jaina nearly stood to show her out - lest Sylvanas see how wounded she would be in response to yet another loss.

Instead, Sylvanas finally spoke.

“Your father is responsible for his own death.” Sylvanas paused again - gathering her thoughts before she continued. “I have killed more trolls and more orcs than I care to count…I am not sure how I might have reacted to seeing one here. Is...is that why I haven't seen one?”

“Yes…and I know the battles you’ve faced. These are not the same people. Still, I wouldn't have you caught unawares.” 

Sylvanas looked away, then, and finally pulled her hands back towards herself. “I'm sorry.”

“For what?” Jaina asked, reaching up quickly to catch a tear before it had a chance to slip down her face and betray her.

“That you lost your family in such a manner,” Sylvanas explained, her expression relaxing into at least some manner of acceptance. “Perhaps one day you will come to share mine.”

Jaina looked up at Sylvanas then, unable to hide the utter disbelief in her expression. “You don’t mean that.” 

“I mean it as much as I’ve ever meant anything in my life.” Sylvanas countered. “Perhaps more. Jaina, I misjudged you when we first met. I was so incredibly wrong about you. And everything that I’ve come to learn since has only confirmed that. This is no different.” 

Jaina smiled. It was a little half-hearted, but it was still a smile. And Sylvanas returned it. 

“I’m not asking for your answer, Jaina. I’m only asking you to know that I’d like for us to come to a decision after you’ve spent some time with me and with my family. And I’m telling you that I absolutely still want that.” 

Jaina exhaled and slumped back into her chair, and Sylvanas finally stood from her own to walk around to her. It wasn’t long before they were half-smothering each other in hugs that were altogether too tight to be enjoyable, yet still were. 

“You shouldn’t stay the night, tonight,” Jaina warned quietly as Sylvanas began kissing along her neck. 

“Why?” Sylvanas murmured against her ear, her lips curling into a smile when she realized Jaina’s had, as well. 

“You agreed to be a show-off tomorrow at your grand send-off, remember? The guards haven’t stopped talking about it for days.” 

“I agreed to a combat demonstration. That’s different than showing off.” 

“Mmm. Sure.” Jaina chuckled in the back of her throat as Sylvanas looped her arms around the small of her back. “You still need your rest.” 

“I prefer other means of relaxation before battle, actually.” Sylvanas corrected. “But if you’d rather sleep…” 

Jaina pulled back slightly and lifted her hands to rest on either side of Sylvanas’s face so she could stroke along her cheeks. “I would rather have what time we have left be spent together.” 

“As would I.” Sylvanas’s voice was a murmur, now. Full of all the gentleness in the world. 

“I never could have imagined being with someone like you,” Jaina observed as Sylvanas’s eyes met her own. “Readily willing to admit you enjoy a night with a woman before a day of killing with a voice and touch as soft as any.”

“I don’t enjoy the killing,” Sylvanas said as she used one of those soft touches to draw Jaina’s hand into her own and twine their fingers together. 

“Are you good at it?” Jaina asked, using the hold Sylvanas had on her to draw her closer. 

Sylvanas nearly hesitated to answer, but Jaina softened the question with a kiss that lingered warmly against her lips. 

“Yes.” 

“Good,” Jaina whispered before kissing her again. “If you are going to do it, it’s good that you excel at it. I can’t imagine losing you when I’ve only just found you.” 

Jaina absolutely enjoyed their night together, even if neither of them got very much sleep. The next day, however, she would see just how good Sylvanas really was. 

The day was festive, despite the cool dampness in the air. Sylvanas and her entourage had made good on their promise to help their hunters with their difficulties, so there was plenty of game roasting on spits around the square in the center of town. Plenty of instruments being played - some good, some that made the elves in attendance press their ears back until they grew used to the noises. 

Yet, everyone was abuzz for mostly one reason. 

Alleria and Sylvanas were to demonstrate hand-to-hand, Sin’dorei combat for everyone in attendance.

And they looked just a little smug about it, as they moved to the center of the square to finally make good on their promise. 

The guard who had taken up impromptu announcement duties called for everyone’s attention, as though that were in any way necessary and Sylvanas glanced in Jaina’s direction before looking back to her sister, who winked at her. 

The blades that were carried to them by a Ranger and a Farstrider, respectively, drew a collective gasp from the crowd gathered around the circle as they glinted in the light.

Real, sharpened blades. Curved and engraved with Elven runes. It was obvious to anyone with eyes who had ever touched a sword that these were as deadly as they were exquisite. 

After they bowed to each other, they began circling almost as one - Alleria spinning her blades before she gripped them comfortably. Sylvanas matched her - move for move. 

From that moment on, it was as much like a dance as it was a fight. It certainly wasn’t like any sparring any of those in attendance had ever seen, save, perhaps, Pained. Who was - grudgingly - impressed. 

They looked as though they were fighting to kill. Their blades were glancing off of each other - leaving trails of sparks in their wake. They were spinning and kicking up dust beneath their boots and each time they came close to making contact - one of them would dodge in an almost cat-like roll or dart, often using her cloak to temporarily blind the other. 

Once, however, Alleria cleanly took off one of the corners of Sylvanas’s at the heels of one of those evasive maneuvers, and Sylvanas’s fangs glinted as she shot a grin in her sister’s direction. “Bitch.” 

No one would have heard that little insult - uttered in Thalassian under Sylvanas’s breath - but they heard Alleria’s amused chuckle in response. 

They could likely have gone on for hours and still held a captive audience. But they gave it twenty minutes, at best, before their ‘conflict’ came to a head and, in a cloud of dust, Alleria had Sylvanas on her back in the ground - appearing to have won. 

Until the dust settled and it was clear that they each could have delivered a killing blow with the blades they held in front of the other’s throat. 

Cheers erupted as they each stood and handed off their weapons and Sylvanas offered her forearm to her sister, which Alleria clasped as she pulled her sister close to pat her on the back. 

“An honor, as always, Lady moon. I hope I’ve helped you adequately impress your prospect.” 

“An honor, indeed, Lady Sun. I should have cut your throat when I had the chance.” Sylvanas murmured in response, and Alleria laughed again. 

“You could have tried, Sister. And you would have failed.” 

Even as they shared violent, yet strangely fond words - they turned to lift their hands to the crowd that had more than appreciated the little spectacle. 

When Sylvanas walked away, she walked towards Jaina - whose eyes had still not returned to a normal level of wide-ness. 

“Those were real,” Jaina muttered in disbelief as Sylvanas reached for one for the venison skewers Jaina was holding and took a rather hearty bite. She was starving. She’d been starving for three weeks out of the sheer will to be polite. 

“Of course, they were.” 

“You’re insane…” Jaina whispered in an almost-hiss. 

Sylvanas chuckled as Jaina offered her own skewer when she finished off her own in two bites, but she lifted up her cloak to examine the frayed, missing corner on one of its edges. “We’ve certainly practiced that fight enough that we can pull off the ‘insane’ aspect. This was Alleria’s idea of a joke.” 

Sylvanas dropped her cloak to hang at her legs again and looked back up at Jaina, who was leveling an admonishing glare in her direction. “A joke? With a sword?” 

“Yes,” Sylvanas explained as she glanced over in Alleria’s direction to see her chatting away happily with Pained. “She thinks she’s hilarious.” 

“You aren’t even sweating…” Jaina realized out loud as Sylvanas looked back at her with a furrow between her brows. 

A furrow that shifted into an impish little grin. “I was last night.” 

“Funny, but no - you weren’t.” Jaina said dryly, and Sylvanas pouted. But the pout disappeared when Jaina retrieved more food for her from a passing vendor. “Maybe we’ll get to that point on my next visit to Silvermoon…” 

Sylvanas’s ears lifted in a way that Jaina now understood a little better, and she laughed quietly as a result. 

Jaina couldn’t imagine her answer would be anything other than ‘yes’ over the coming weeks. The thought seemed almost absurd to her. Even when Sylvanas turned to watch the rest of the festivities with a good half-dozen sticks of meat in her hand. Maybe especially then.


	14. A Resounding Yes

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Jaina swallowed thickly past the nervousness that lingered in her throat as she read over the letter in her hands for what felt like the dozenth time.

Just a simple invitation, really. From Lireesa to herself requesting a private meeting before the official start of her next visit. 

Jaina had obliged, of course. Obviously. Clearly.

One didn’t deny the Regent Lord of Silvermoon. Especially not when one was falling hard and fast for the Regent Lord’s daughter.

Perhaps that’s why her nerves were getting the better of her as she began working carefully at weaving a portal as had been requested of her. 

A sign of trust on Lireesa’s part. A trust that Jaina didn’t want her to regret or doubt. She’d never focused so hard on a portal in her life. Yet, it was steady and scarcely flickered at its edges when it was finally finished - opened into an empty chamber that Jaina sometimes held her smaller council meetings in. 

The sight of Lireesa was unexpected. But then, wasn’t it always? She looked so severe. Such a strange mixture of what was surely age, but didn’t look it, and an otherwise almost spritely appearance. The silver hair, perhaps, was what looked the most ethereal about her. It matched the silver of her eyes and was a stark contrast to the lingering darkness of her brows - brows that only added to the severity of her expression as she stepped towards the portal.

Try as she might, Jaina couldn’t glimpse what, if anything, had been behind her. She could only tell that Lireesa was holding something as she stepped through. A small bundle tucked against her side. It was only then that Jaina realized Lireesa wasn’t wearing anything in the way of regalia. Just dark clothing and a dark cloak with its hood lowered against her shoulders. 

She looked about as casual as she possibly could, all things considered. 

Jaina scarcely realized she was staring until Lireesa glanced behind herself and gestured towards the portal. “You can close that if you wish. I don’t require a guard. It’s just me in attendance, as stated in my letter.” 

“I...of course, Lord Regent. My apologies.” Jaina closed the portal quickly as when she turned back to face the small woman in front of her, she was a bit taken aback to find her bowing her head graciously in Jaina’s direction. 

Jaina returned the bow as smoothly as she could manage, and smoothed out her robes as Lireesa looked around the room carefully for a moment before visibly relaxing. She placed the parcel she’d been holding on the only table in the room and looked back in Jaina’s direction. “Sit. Please. I’ve brought you a gift.” 

Jaina was surprised again when Lireesa didn’t sit until she did, and she glanced from the parcel to the Regent Lord apprehensively. “You needn’t...treat me with such deference. It should be I that-” 

“I am a guest in your home.” Lireesa cut her off, but her tone was softer than Jaina had yet heard it, and it took the slight sting away from her reproach. “And you are, perhaps, a future daughter of mine.”

Jaina’s cheeks reddened deeply, and Lireesa couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face and accentuated the lines beside her eyes. 

“But we can discuss that momentarily. Please. Your gift.” 

Jaina was thankful for the distraction and immediately began untying the parcel - though her hands faltered when she saw the resplendent bindings on the book she’d revealed. Slowly, she opened it and turned the pages. Her eyes grew wider with each turn.

A textbook. Enchanted in the way the primer that had been a gift from Sylvanas was, only there was no key. No lock that held its magic at bay until it was activated. No, the moment Jaina began turning - the pages and words came alive. Words in Common. 

“Sylvanas, regretfully, pilfered one of your textbooks on her visit. I’m sure she could have just asked, but...here we are. This is a rough version, of course. But I assure you it’s ready for production upon your approval.”

“It’s...oh, it’s wonderful,” Jaina said quietly. A bit breathlessly, perhaps. Because it truly was wonderful. Jaina knew all too well some children just weren’t like her. Some children would rather engross themselves in adventure or anything, really, aside from book-learning. But this book was an adventure in itself. “I…” She looked up at Lireesa, who was still wearing a soft, genuine smile. “Thank you. I’m sure this depends upon...well. I understand, if it does.” 

“Depends upon what is between you and my daughter?” Lireesa asked as she leaned back into the chair she’d taken to find more comfort in it. “Not at all. All children deserve to learn and learn well. To be excited about learning. Not just Elven children.” 

Jaina looked a little shocked. A little like Lireesa might need to come to her rescue. Which she did, rather handily. 

“Lady Proudmoore, my society is not, I think, very much like yours at all. Even if it were, Sylvanas is not my eldest daughter. I still couldn’t imagine using her as a bargaining chip. Frankly, if she had chosen to pursue a girl who had just crawled out of a literal hole in the ground I might have been thrilled. Then we could have avoided all this pomp and circumstance of official things and treatise.” Lireesa waved her hand in a dismissive, almost bothered way and then sighed. “But she seems to have chosen you.” Lireesa chuckled then, and Jaina realized none of that had been meant as a jab. She felt relieved. “And I’m inclined to agree this might be best for her. It is my greatest wish that you find it might also be what is best for yourself.” 

Jaina tilted her head then, regarding Lireesa with a furrow between her brows. This certainly wasn’t anything like it had been with Arthas or any of the other potential future suitors who had pled their case to her father. Her own happiness and wishes had rarely even entered into the equation, then. But then...she was her own woman now. She ruled a land, however small. She answered to no one, save herself. 

“Can I ask you what it means?” Jaina finally responded, keeping the book close to herself like the treasure that it truly was to her. “To be courted in your culture? The semantics of it, I mean. Clearly it isn’t quite so...patriarchal.” 

Lireesa made an amused little sound in the back of her throat and glanced up at the sound of a knock on the door and the sight of a decanter of wine being carried in by a rather unassuming young woman. She remained quiet while a glass what poured, first for her - which she slid in Jaina’s direction, much to the young woman’s confusion. Though, the woman hadn’t really stopped looking at Lireesa since arriving. The little smirk the woman was wearing wasn’t helping. 

When the woman lingered a little too long, Lireesa finally spoke to her. “Bal’a dash.” 

The woman nearly jumped, and Lireesa nearly laughed.

“Pardon, ma’am. Your majesty, I mean.” She left the decanter on the table, then, and tucked the tray under her arm. “I don’t...I’m not familiar with your language.” 

“Greetings,” Lireesa responded simply. Warmly. “Thank you for the wine.” 

The woman fumbled over a response and then made her way hastily from the room, sparing one more glance in Lireesa’s direction before she was gone. Lireesa didn’t even need to look at Jaina to know she was being given a look of near-shock.

“Forgive an old woman,” Lireesa said before finally adjusting her attention to Jaina. “Who still finds the attention of those less familiar with her amusing.” 

Jaina smiled softly. It was the most...well, human thing she’d ever seen this woman do - for lack of a better term. It also made her terrified of what lay ahead for her with Sylvanas, considering how impish Lireesa could clearly be despite her obvious - or not so obvious - age. 

“I see where your daughter gets her charm.” Jaina offered - a bit hesitantly. But Lireesa’s responding grin told her the remark wasn’t at all unappreciated. 

“I am endlessly more charming than that talking peacock, but I am terribly glad you’ve seen through her ruse.” 

Jaina was blushing again. And Lireesa took some measure of pity on her, at least. 

“Courting for us is about compatibility, in response to your earlier question.” She began, taking a sip of her wine and placing the glass aside without neither a look of disapproval or appreciation. “In all areas. Perhaps in some that aren’t priorities for your people.”

Jaina might have asked what ways Lireesa meant if she didn’t already have quite a clear idea of what she was alluding to. “I think...well. Yes. That’s quite different.” 

Lireesa chuckled. “So as to avoid you finding out any...shortcomings upon your union, I’m sure. Well, we believe it best to know far in advance if there are any such issues. That’s why you’ll be staying in my daughter’s rooms for the duration of your visit.” 

Jaina was more taken aback than she intended to let show, yet it showed, anyway. She was so thrown, she didn’t even realize what she’d begun to say until it was far too late. “Oh, that wouldn’t be…I...we’ve already-” 

Lireesa’s lips quirked in a faint smile in response to the stricken look on Jaina’s face. “Oh, I had assumed. That isn’t the reason, however. You both deserve to know whether you can co-exist before you have no other choice. You need to know if you can handle her eccentricities. Her snoring. Any number of things.”

Jaina was at ease, again. For the most part, save a lingering redness in her cheeks. So much so that she began to wonder whether it was something in the wine or just Lireesa’s reassuring demeanor. “That’s...a wonderful idea, actually. I had...before she left, Sylvanas asked me to make a decision after my arrival, instead of before.” 

“She cares about you,” Lireesa explained gently. If she’d been surprised at Jaina’s news, she hid it well. “She’s one of the least patient people I’ve ever met. If she wants something, she generally tends to have it as soon as she’s capable of doing so. I’ve seen more changes in her in the past months than I have in decades. I suppose I have you to thank for that.” 

“Was she all that terrible?” Jaina asked with a faint tilt of her head, and Lireesa smiled almost sadly. 

“Terrible, no. I just worried often she would get herself killed in her over-eagerness. She’s always been so focused on her service and the renown that comes with it. I had begun to worry she would prefer courting Quel’Thalas to courting an actual person.” 

“I don’t hope to take her from that duty. Or from her people.” Jaina responded softly. “I could and would never. Whatever arrangement this ends in...I want her to be happy with it. I feel...I feel I will be. With her. If it comes to that.” 

Lireesa finished off her wine and set the glass down softly, glancing over at it with a faint nod as she traced the rim of it with her fingertips. “I’m relieved to hear that.” She finally said. “As I said before, this seems like a good match for her. I believe she’s always needed someone who wouldn’t require…” Lireesa trailed off, and Jaina finally smiled. 

“Too much attention?” She offered quietly, and Lireesa nodded as a little laugh left her. 

“Precisely.” 

“I have many of my own burdens to carry,” Jaina explained. “And I wasn’t looking for love. It just happened to find me.” 

“You will help each other carry them, Jaina,” Lireesa said with a rather soft look in her eyes as they landed on her. “You’ll see. You both will. A burden is so much lighter when there is softness waiting for you when you are ready to go looking for it. Knowing you have a place to fall will allow you both to fly so much higher...and give you both reason enough to return.” 

Jaina was struck by those words, and Lireesa used that pause to take the time to stand. A little less gracefully than she’d found her seat to begin with. “Now...I need to return to my soft place to fall. I’m getting stiff in the cold.”

“Your wife?” Jaina asked as she stood, and Lireesa smiled. 

“My wife. The most patient Paladin I have ever known. Whom asked me to dress in warmer clothes, and whom I ignored entirely.” 

Jaina couldn’t help the warmth that flooded her chest following that exchange. Even after she closed the portal and Lireesa was long gone, she sat at the table pondering over everything that had been said.

She wondered what it might be like to call Sylvanas her wife. Her soft place to fall. She wondered if it would be possible that she could be that same thing for her. 

The next day couldn’t possibly have come quickly enough. 

Her entire body was thrumming with nervous excitement as Lirath’s now-familiar magic became manifest by way of a portal to her destination. The royal square, she assumed.

She’d been wrong. 

The only thing standing on the other side of the portal was Sylvanas. Sylvanas, whose matching nervous expression shifted immediately into an almost questioning smile at the sight of Jaina. 

Jaina stepped through immediately, her bags forgotten behind her, and Sylvanas glanced past her towards them with a wry expression. 

Jaina was rather flustered when she realized she’d forgotten them, but Sylvanas - ever the gentlelady - stepped through and back again with two of them slung over one shoulder and the other in her hand. Only then did Lirath close the portal and slip back through the door. 

These were Sylvanas’s rooms, then. Luxurious and well-furnished and wonderfully warm. And Sylvanas didn’t look at all out of place in them - in her black, high-collared shirt and leggings all pulled together visually by a golden belt around her waist. She didn’t look like someone who should be carrying luggage, yet there she was - slowly lowering the bags in the middle of the room.

She seemed nervous. Jaina could pick up on at least that - between the way her ears were pressed back and her eyes never quite met Jaina’s. Sylvanas was actually nervous. 

But gods, so was Jaina. This was so real, now. And Sylvanas’s following words didn’t make it any less so. 

“We...we have the evening together. Alone. As is customary. Dinner will be brought up to us. Tomorrow, there will be a banquet with my family. And you, of course. I...there is a hunt. It’s more of a...when Rangers…” 

“Sylvanas?” Jaina said the name quietly, and Sylvanas let out a rather sharp breath of frustration as Jaina took a few steps to get close enough to her to reach for her hand. 

Slowly, though, the soft green glow of the other woman’s eyes met the gentle blue of Jaina’s, and Jaina offered her a reassuring smile. “I am here now, as you said before you left. I’m in Silvermoon with you.”

One of Sylvanas’s ears lifted faintly in confusion. “...You are.”

“Yes,” Jaina said immediately. Firmly. “I...yes. I want to be courted by you. I want to court you in return. I want to keep falling for you, and I want to see if I can’t be lucky enough to have you fall for me in turn.” 

Sylvanas let out a shuddering breath that she felt like she’d been holding for weeks, now, as Jaina moved even closer and reached up to touch the sides of her face as though she no longer knew whether or not she was allowed. 

In return, Sylvanas covered Jaina’s hands with her own for a moment before instead drawing her into an impossibly tight hug. “I’m already falling. You know that.” She whispered breathlessly as Jaina nodded and then buried her face in the crook of her neck. “Yes? This is a yes?” 

“Yes,” Jaina whispered with a weak, breathy laugh. “It’s a resounding yes.”

“My mother must have gotten to you.” Sylvanas murmured as one of her hands moved to find Jaina’s hair so she could tangle her fingers in it carefully. 

“You got to me, you ridiculous woman. All your mother did was make me fear for how I will ever keep up with you.” 

“I couldn’t keep up with my mother right now.” Sylvanas murmured through her responding laughter. 

“I doubt that. I think you’ve tamed things down for me if I might be so bold.” Jaina quipped as she pulled back and moved her hands so they were trailing along the sides of Sylvanas’s neck. 

“I don’t know about that,” Sylvanas responded politely as her gaze lingered on Jaina’s. “I know that I’ve felt your absence and wanting for nothing and no one else but you since we parted.” 

“Dinner first.” Jaina murmured, albeit reluctantly. The thought of this evening was more than a little tantalizing. The thought of not hiding. Of waking up with Sylvanas afterward. Of all this being real and hers. “Or you’ll starve to death.” 

Sylvanas hesitated for a moment before her hands fell to Jaina’s hips to keep her close as she slowly leaned in and brushed their lips together. “How do you know me so well?” She asked in a murmur as Jaina leaned into her for more, which she withheld for a moment as she waited for an answer.

“I can’t help but pay attention to you,” Jaina responded, hoping that was enough. 

It was. For now. And Sylvanas kissed her again. And it was more, this time. It was a soft parting of Jaina’s lips for a tongue that could be wicked but was now all softness and care as it touched against her own and then grazed her teeth before retreating.

That fleeting moment left Jaina breathless and regretting her decision to wait for dinner as her fingers hooked into Sylvanas’s belt and hung there. She didn’t have long to regret, though, before there was a knock on the door. No doubt the promised dinner. 

Sylvanas held onto her for a moment or two longer, though. Long enough to allow Jaina to touch along her chest and trace the sharp lines of her jaw. Long enough, even, for tentative fingers to graze along the delicate lengths of her ears. 

Another knock finally drew Sylvanas’s attention. 

“Ranger-General?” 

“I should get the door,” Sylvanas said quietly, and Jaina reluctantly nodded her agreement. 

But she _was_ hungry. She’d been too nervous to eat the night before. Certainly too nervous for breakfast today. But most of that nervousness was gone now, as she watched Sylvanas pull the cart inside and thank its purveyor before shutting the door.

There was some, sure. She was in the Ranger-General’s world, now. In her rooms. Where her bed no doubt was. Somewhere beyond the opulent sitting room with its grand fireplace and gilded furniture. 

But they were the good kind of nerves. The kind that felt like butterflies in her stomach fluttering in the warmth that had pooled there as Sylvanas fussed over the dinner to make sure that everything was perfect, as though it even needed to be. 

Yes. Jaina wanted this. 

So much.


	15. Bedtime Snacks (or How to Live With Sylvanas Windrunner)

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Dinner had been wonderful.

That didn’t come as much of a surprise to Jaina, though. If there was one thing they did well in Silvermoon, it was spoiling their guests. Then again, this was probably an every-night meal for Sylvanas, who had very obviously tried to slow down her usual eating pace for Jaina. Not her volume, though. She’d out-eaten Jaina at least two times over by the time they were done without even realizing it.

When Jaina stood to collect their plates from the little nook they’d retreated to for dinner, Sylvanas looked up at her almost sheepishly. “I can order more.” She offered, standing quickly to help Jaina with the rest of the plates, walking with her towards the cart to pile the dishes as neatly as she could.

It wasn’t all that neat, Jaina observed. It was rather precarious, actually. 

“Don’t be silly,” Jaina said as she pushed the cart towards the door and into the hallway. She was a touch shocked to find someone already waiting to collect it, and she turned to look at Sylvanas who was still lingering a short ways away. “I ate far too much without you ordering more.” 

“Too much?” Sylvanas asked with a slight tilt of her head and a lift of one of her ears. One of the strangest things - one of the things Sylvanas was having the most difficult time with - was just how little Jaina ate. “Right.” Sylvanas straightened her face and cleared her throat.

“Some wine then? I have some excellent wines in the parlor. Some cakes, too. No, you’re full. Right.”

“Sylvanas.”

Sylvanas’s rather manic dialogue came to a screeching halt, then, and Jaina was treated to the sight of her ears reddening all the way to their tips. “I’m sorry.” 

Jaina’s expression was nothing if not sympathetic as she shook her head and bridged the distance between them to stand in front of her. She didn’t look right at her. More like over her shoulder. At the wall somewhere, before her gaze fell to the soft-looking black leather boots Sylvanas was wearing. “What’s different?” She asked, finally. “Why is it different?” 

Sylvanas looked away immediately, her jaw working as she tried to think of an appropriate response. “I don’t know.” That wasn’t true. That wasn’t good enough. She cursed herself inwardly for it. “Because now that you’ve said yes, I...I could ruin it. I could make you change your mind, and then you won’t be…” Sylvanas trailed off for a beat before finishing. “And then you won’t be mine, anymore. So I have to be perfect.” 

“Sylvanas…” Jaina murmured the name in a tone that was both sympathetic and chiding, and she reached up to hold the General’s face in her hand and turn it so that she had to look at her. “You have no idea how perfect you are. Even the way the sun hits your skin is perfect. Like you command it yourself or something. You’re so perfect anything around you pales in comparison.”

“Not you,” Sylvanas responded quietly, and Jaina fell silent for a moment. That admission had been so soft and so earnest it had nearly taken her breath away. “Never you.” 

“Sylvans, please. I’m no such thing. I’m nothing like you.” 

“Right,” Sylvanas said as she leaned her forehead against Jaina’s. “Perfect.” 

“You’re being ridiculous.” Jaina accused as her eyes fluttered shut for a moment at the sudden closeness and how familiar it felt. How wanted. “I already said yes.” 

“I want you to keep saying yes,” Sylvanas explained as trailed her fingertips down Jaina’s arm to find her hand and slowly twined their fingers together. “And I’ve never wanted that from anyone before.”

“You’re doing fine,” Jaina said with a faint smile. “It’s a little easier to be around you like this, honestly.”

Sylvanas pulled back as Jaina gave a few strands of her hair a gentle tug, and Jaina could see the question in her eyes without her having to ask it. 

“Sometimes when I’m with you, it feels like I’m going to be burned by your presence,” Jaina explained. “You’re so sure of everything. Every step you take feels like the end of a perfectly constructed sentence. I know you must be terribly worried to be letting it show...but I’m glad to see it. Because I’m so scared. I’m so scared. I don’t know what I’m doing, either. At all. I’ve never touched a woman before you, and suddenly I’m just allowed to touch the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Just because I want to.” 

As if to accentuate that point, Jaina lifted her hand from Sylvanas’s hair and ran her fingertips across one of her cheeks - touching along the barely visible dusting of freckles in her golden skin. 

“It’s easy to forget who you are sometimes.” Jaina continued as Sylvanas turned her head to press a long, warm kiss against her palm. “To imagine you commanding battlefields and winning wars when you kiss me the way you do.”

“I could say the same for you,” Sylvanas said - her words coming a touch more easily now. “Well. Perhaps not the never touched a woman before part.” 

Jaina smiled faintly at the way Sylvanas’s lips curled and exhaled through her nose in a way that let Sylvanas know the mood had lightened into something that was a little easier to handle. For both of them. 

“How lucky I am to reap those benefits,” Jaina observed. There was something both intoxicating and...strangely agitating about that thought. Jaina couldn’t begin to imagine how many encounters someone like Sylvanas had likely had. She was so…

As if on cue, Sylvanas pressed the side of her index finger under Jaina’s chin and touched across her lower lip with her thumb as she met Jaina’s gaze carefully. “As lucky as I am to be skilled enough to please you.” Her gaze flashed to Jaina’s lips as though they were suddenly unattainable before lifting again as Jaina swallowed. The kiss that followed was almost painfully brief and light. “Only you.” 

Jaina let out a shuddering breath so suddenly that neither of them had been prepared for it. She might have laughed had Sylvanas not pressed closer to her in response. Had she not chased that breath with a harder, deeper kiss. One that had her gathering some of the front of Sylvanas’s shirt into her fingers until it was irreparably bunched and half-tugged from the belt that cinched it around her waist. 

And then a soft sound came from Jaina - muffled against Sylvanas’s mouth. It had almost been a whine.

Sylvanas broke the kiss and took Jaina’s hands in her own in the same moment as Jaina looked at her. Slightly dazed. Questioning.

“Let me take you to bed,” Sylvanas said softly. “Let me take my time this time. Let me take my time with you, now that I am able to.”

Jaina searched Sylvanas’s face, then, and found nothing but the same warmth that had been in the low, slightly breathy tone of her voice. The nervous excitement coursing through her doubled over on her, then. She could still vividly remember what Sylvanas had looked like in the firelight that night when she’d been so patient with her. 

She could still _feel_ the deft efficiency of her touch in the hallway days later. Even the thought of Sylvanas’s fangs prickling against her skin was…

Jaina finally nodded when she realized she was just standing there, and Sylvanas smiled faintly. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t agree.” She said quietly, keeping one of Jaina’s hands in her own as she led her through the living area through a series of arched doorways containing what appeared to be an office as well as a library. And finally, a bedroom. Dimly lit by magelight that was different from that in other areas of Sylvanas’s rooms. Yellower. Warmer. They cast everything in a forgiving, cradling glow on everything from the large, canopied bed to various armor stands that all seemed to hold a different color or fit of regalia. 

Jaina was so busy taking in her surroundings that she didn’t notice Sylvanas undressing near the bed until she finally turned to look at her and froze as Sylvanas cast first her boots and then her belt aside and began lifting her shirt up along the chiseled plane of her stomach. The sight of breeches riding low caught Jaina’s breath in her throat, and before she knew it - a soft gasp left her. 

One that caused Sylvanas to allow her shirt to fall back down to cover herself as she stopped. 

Jaina cleared her throat and took a few rather brave steps forward until she was standing just in front of Sylvanas, who reached out to take one of her hips in her hands in a measure both reassuring and...strangely arousing. 

“Can I undress you this time?” Jaina asked as she risked a touch to Sylvanas’s stomach over her shirt. She found that she liked the way the muscles there tensed slightly beneath her fingertips. 

“You can do whatever you like to me.” Sylvanas’s response came in something that was so close to a purr, Jaina could only assume that was a uniquely Elven ability. But even that musing couldn’t stop the way that statement made her blush terribly and drop her head. 

Sylvanas pressed closer. Took Jaina’s hand in her own and guided it slowly beneath the hem of her shirt until Jaina’s hand was stroking across the warm expanse of her stomach - all while she tilted the younger woman’s chin up and pressed an almost chaste kiss to her lips. “Of course, you may.” She whispered against Jaina’s lips before pulling away and offering her an almost apologetic little smile. “I’ll lay down for you.” 

Jaina smiled appreciatively. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Sylvanas’s ease in the bedroom attractive. It was just...almost too attractive, at times. And damnit, she was trying to undress her...her suitor? 

The young mage’s eyes lifted as she nearly snorted at the ridiculous inner-discourse she was having with herself over grammar at a time like this. When Sylvanas was reclining back against the headboard of her bed just so - looking right at her. With one of her hands resting against her stomach. Looking so…well. Undressable. 

Not the least bit worried. Not the least bit self-conscious. Just waiting, and patiently - at that. 

Jaina steadied herself into at least a passable semblance of calm and removed her outer robes to leave them on the edge of the expansive bed before climbing on. Luckily, Sylvanas caught her handily as her knee caught on the other woman’s thigh and she nearly toppled over. 

They both laughed quietly for a moment as Jaina shook her head and straddled Sylvanas’s lap to look down at her in the dim lighting. “You would think I was some virginal, blushing bride-to-be.” 

“Not at all.” Sylvanas murmured as her hands found Jaina’s thighs and gave them a gentle, affirming squeeze. “A succubus incarnate. A demoness Queen of lovemaking has graced my bedchamber with her intoxicating presence on this night. It’s likely I shan’t survive her wiles. Whether or not I care about said survival remains to be seen.” 

Another fit of laughter came, then, and Jaina found the hem of Sylvanas’s shirt as she leaned in to kiss the rather silly grin from her face and lifted the garment over her head to find only a simple, satiny slip-like shirt beneath. One that rode high enough that her navel and the cuts of her hips were visible. 

It seemed so intentional. Especially considering it was the same black as her pants. And it likely was. 

Jaina found she appreciated the effort. She found she was flattered by the fact that someone so untouchable would strive to make herself more desirable for her in this way. 

“You know how good you look…” Jaina whispered. A statement, more than a question, as she slowly guided that slip up Sylvanas’s arms to discard it beside the bed with her shirt. 

“Perhaps.” Sylvanas breathed as she moved both her hands up - not on Jaina - but along the pillows behind her head until she was holding the twining metalwork of her headboard. “Perhaps I took great care to be sure you would still find yourself attracted to me.” 

“How could anyone not be attracted to you…?” Jaina mused, sounding far-off as she settled in the lap she had straddled and tentatively trailed her fingertips along hard ridges of muscle towards the soft line of the undersides of Sylvanas’s exposed breasts. 

“You aren’t ‘anyone’.” Sylvanas replied simply. “You are the _only_ one. When all others have long since forgotten what lies beneath my clothing, I want you to remember it. I want you to long for it. I want you to recall all the places you’ve left your touch just as I will.” 

Jaina let out a breathy little sound, then. Cast an almost helpless glance up at Sylvanas as she cupped one of her breasts in her palm and dared to graze her nipple with her thumb. “You say the most…” Jaina trailed off and swallowed thickly as she shifted her position with a small measure of discomfort. “They way you talk when we…” 

Sylvanas slowly released the headboard from her grip and stroked along Jaina’s arms. Admittedly, it was getting a touch more difficult to talk in any sort of ‘way’ with how Jaina was touching her. Especially considering how everything was mingling with her own arousal and coiling warmly and tightly in her stomach. 

“I don’t have to talk at all if you’d prefer I didn’t.” Sylvanas offered as her hands found Jaina’s hips and her thumbs pressed into the hollows of them. “I’ve missed you. I’m not used to…”

“Waiting.” Jaina offered breathlessly as Sylvanas’s grip turned into something to hold Jaina’s hips close so that she could roll her own against them and drive the ache Jaina was already feeling that much deeper. 

“Yes.” Sylvanas husked in agreement. “Let me have you. And then you can finish undressing me as slowly as you like.” 

Jaina wasn’t entirely certain what ‘have’ meant in this instance. The only thing she was certain of is that she absolutely wanted to let Sylvanas have whatever she wanted. 

The quick, affirmative nod she gave in response had Sylvanas sitting up against her and trailing fiery kisses across her chest as her fingers darted towards the laces that would have her robes falling from her quickly and onto the bed. 

She would soon find herself pressed onto her back in the wrinkled, discarded clothing with Sylvanas pressing herself between her thighs - a warm and welcome weight on top of her. 

But instead of what Jaina might have expected - Sylvanas’s fingers, perhaps - or a leg pressing further between her own, Sylvanas just kept kissing down her body until Jaina was pushing herself almost frantically onto her elbows to see what she was doing. 

Sylvanas’s ears twitched in response to the sudden change in the sound of Jaina’s breaths. From impossibly aroused and wanting to...panicked? Questioning?

Her eyes lifted just as she pressed the first kiss to the crook of Jaina’s thigh. 

“What are you doing?” Jaina asked after a hard blink to try and drive some sense back into herself despite the imagery of Sylvanas looking up at her like that from between her thighs. 

“I’m going to make you come,” Sylvanas explained gently, following those words with another kiss. This time, to the softer - much more sensitive skin further towards Jaina’s core. 

Gods. With her mouth. Sylvanas meant to do that with her mouth. 

“Can I?” Sylvanas asked, her eyes still focused carefully on Jaina’s expression as she caressed her thigh in order to guide it further from the other. She wanted more room, that much was clear.

Jaina obliged and stayed on her elbows. She had never wanted to see something so badly in her life. 

Perhaps it was then that realization dawned on Sylvanas and drove her to speak again. 

“Has no one ever done this?”

Jaina shook her head faintly. 

“What a shame,” Sylvanas whispered - having moved her head so that her breath would ghost over slick, glistening skin. “I would stay between your legs like this forever. I would drown in you.” 

Jaina groaned quietly and dug her heel into the bed in response to those words. She’d never heard anything like them. She’d never felt like molten steel had found its way into her core and settled there and god, the feeling was overwhelming. She wanted more of it. 

“Yes.” She whispered - her voice trembling on her lips. “Please.” 

“You needn’t beg.” Sylvanas cooed gently against the mound of flesh just above Jaina’s clit before pressing her lips there. “We aren’t there, yet.” A playful little smile followed those words, and the fire in Jaina blazed higher. Reached heights she could never have imagined. 

At least until Sylvanas’s tongue added a new type of wetness to what had already gathered. Until it swiped a slow, sinful path towards her clit and Jaina’s hand darted to the back of her head. 

She couldn’t hold herself up anymore, then. She could only fall to her back against the bed as her hips bucked and she nearly pushed away from Sylvanas entirely, only to find the woman’s arms wrapping around her thighs to keep her close. But she slowed the movements of her tongue and lightened them. Only barely circling Jaina’s clit until she was settled again and moaning softly instead of jerking and gasping. 

Finally, Sylvanas allowed her eyes to shut. She allowed herself to savor the taste of Jaina’s pleasure on her tongue as the quiet, slick sounds began mingling with her own low moans and Jaina’s higher, broken ones. 

She would be lying if she said this wasn’t likely the most turned on she’d ever been. Knowing she was the first to have Jaina in such a way. She knew Jaina had little control over the way her hand was twisting and tugging in her hair - but each new sting drove another moan directly into Jaina’s clit. 

Jaina wasn’t sure she was going to make it when Sylvanas’s lips joined the mix. When they pulled her so delicately inward and gentle flicking and circling became steady, rhythmic sucking. 

When Jaina came, even Sylvanas’s formidable strength was only just enough to hold her hips down. But she didn’t want to let her go. She wanted to keep stroking her with her tongue and murmuring wordless sounds against her until she was still and trembling against the bed. Until Sylvanas had drawn her orgasm out for as long as Jaina could stand it. 

Then, Sylvanas kissed her way back up. Gently. A press of lips just below Jaina’s navel...between her breasts...and finally, against her jaw. 

Jaina squirmed a little at the feeling, and opened her dazed eyes to find Sylvanas’s lips still glistening with her own arousal. 

Sylvanas just laughed quietly. “So affronted. Clearly I should have washed before rejoining you up here.” 

“I’m not,” Jaina argued quickly, her chest still heaving as Sylvanas rested a hand over her thrumming heart. “It’s…” She reached out then and ran her thumb over Sylvanas’s mouth to clean it. 

“I believe the word you’re searching for is ‘hot’.” Sylvanas offered. 

“You’ve been brushing up on your Common.” Jaina complimented. “That’s exactly the word.” 

Sylvanas’s smile turned into something softer, then. Something decidedly sated, and Jaina kept touching along her face and then shoulder - tracing a scar there carefully. Sylvanas seemed perfectly content to just be touched. Explored. 

“You were moaning.” Jaina sounded a touch shy, then, and Sylvanas spared her the piercing gaze Jaina had expected from her. “While you were…”

“Yes, I was.” Sylvanas murmured lazily. “I enjoyed it very much.”

That thought hadn’t even occurred to Jaina. The thought that someone could be so stimulated by doing something just for her. It made her want to touch Sylvanas. It made her _need_ to. 

Perhaps the way Jaina was suddenly reaching to pull her closer keyed Sylvanas into this fact, because she tried to help as best she could until she finally wound up on her back with Jaina leaning over her. 

There was something so soft and trusting about the way Sylvanas was looking at her. And then something heated and thinly veiled just beneath. Like she wanted something desperately but wouldn’t ask. Wouldn’t push. 

It only gave Jaina the last little push she needed to begin unlacing Sylvanas’s breeches and pulling them down her strong, smooth thighs. 

Jaina was less tentative this time. Outwardly, anyway. Inside - she was nothing if not a bundle of nerves as she reached between Sylvanas’s legs to find a little slickness even on her inner thighs. 

She wondered about a hundred different things on her way down. Would she like the taste? Would she be any good at all? Would...Sylvanas even allow her to try when it was so clear she was in need? 

She thought the latter might be a possibility when she’d nearly reached her intended destination and Sylvanas stopped her with a light touch against her jaw. “You don’t have to.”

“But can I?” Jaina asked softly, looking up at Sylvanas in a way Sylvanas had never seen before. In a way that had her lifting her hand to stroke through Jaina’s hair before giving it a gentle, encouraging tug as she let one of her legs fall to the side easily. 

With a last, trembling breath - Jaina leaned in. Sylvanas let out a ragged breath when Jaina first found her clit, but her hips jerked sharply when the stimulation was almost immediately too much.

“Soft,” Sylvanas whispered breathlessly. “Make your tongue soft.” Her voice was gentle instead of reproachful. Encouraging. 

Jaina didn’t let her temporary embarrassment get the better of her. Instead, she did her best to remember the feeling of Sylvanas between her legs. Of the almost velvety wet feeling of her tongue and how it had stroked her and coaxed her. 

The almost strangled moan that came from Sylvanas a moment later told her she was getting closer. 

If it hadn’t, the trembling of her thighs certainly did. 

But then, Sylvanas had already been so close when she started. So keyed up with waiting and anticipation that she was falling apart by the time Jaina looked back up. Thankfully, she didn’t miss the sight of Sylvanas straining with the waves of pleasure. She didn’t miss the moment her flush spread into her chest and her stomach jumped as her shoulder flexed and rolled before her entire body shuddered. 

Sylvanas didn’t give her a chance to linger. She simply pulled Jaina up and buried her face into the side of her neck as she panted almost harshly. 

That night, after they both basked in what they’d given each other - Jaina got her first taste of what truly being with Sylvanas could be like. 

She got to see her wander towards the bathroom with no clothing on to get them a glass of water to share. 

She got to wrap herself in a blanket in order to shuffle after her to the parlor where those cakes were stashed and watch her eat a few of them, and all the while - there was a soft smile on her face. Until Sylvanas turned to find that Jaina had followed her, half a cake still in her hand and her mouth full. 

“Do you want some?” The words were slightly muffled, of course. Due to the mouthful she was still dealing with.

Jaina’s smile got wider. 

“No, thank you. Come to bed?” Jaina’s voice was so gentle and full of such entreaty that Sylvanas immediately abandoned her snacks in favor of walking towards Jaina’s outstretched hand and taking it so she could be led away. 

Jaina also discovered, that night, that Sylvanas had nightmares. Nightmares that made her ears shift in her sleep and her eyes dart rapidly behind their lids. Nightmares that eventually drew a sheen of sweat across her broad shoulders. 

Jaina woke her with gentle kisses to her arm, and Sylvanas’s eyes fluttered open for a moment. Rested on Jaina, who wrinkled her nose at her in return. 

Sylvanas drifted back to sleep none the wiser. 

Jaina understood nightmares all too well. She thought idly about the fact that one day she might ask Sylvanas what haunted her, as she stroked through silken locks of platinum hair that was still a tangled mess - and still beautiful, somehow. 

Lireesa had been wrong about one thing. When Sylvanas slept, her breathing was soft and even. Like the gentlest lullaby Jaina had ever heard. 

Thankfully, Sylvanas didn’t mind Jaina’s snoring. The quiet sounds only woke her once, and only because she wasn’t used to hearing them. 

But she would get used to it. And that thought had her drifting back off with a smile curling the corners of her lips.


	16. Of Nightmares and Honey Buns

  
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)  


“I could get used to this,” Jaina whispered as her head lolled back lazily against Sylvanas’s shoulder. 

Sylvanas laughed quietly just behind her ear. A low, smooth chuckle that had slowly but surely become one of Jaina’s favorite sounds. Well. Perhaps not that slowly. 

Another warm stream of water made its way down the center of Jaina’s chest, then, and she stroked slowly along Sylvanas’s thighs beneath the steaming water they had sunk into what was likely far too long ago. 

“Could you?” Sylvanas asked as she discarded the cloth and, instead, followed the little rivulets of water back up Jaina’s body with the tips of her fingers. “What part?” 

Jaina murmured quietly. No words. Just a general tone of appreciation. So many parts. Like the feeling of Sylvanas washing her hair with fingers that had no right to be so delicate. Like the way she’d made her come so easily right afterward. So many things.

“The fact that you’re so opposed to wearing clothing.” Jaina finally settled on with a tired, sated smile. 

And it was true. Since last night, the only clothing Jaina had seen were the outfits currently waiting for them side by side on Sylvanas’s bed. Perfectly appropriate for dinner with Sylvanas’s family, which Jaina had been terribly nervous about. 

She’d begun to suspect this bath was Sylvanas’s attempt at easing those nerves. Well. If that was the case, her attempt had been very successful. 

“Is that all?” Sylvanas asked, following that question up with a slow, open-mouth kiss to Jaina’s shoulder that was accentuated by the sharp bite of her teeth. 

Jaina let out a quiet groan and pressed into the bite, and Sylvanas ‘tsk’d lightly as she withdrew. 

“Don’t start anything.” She warned gently. “We have dinner tonight.” 

Jaina exhaled, then. A small, amused little sound as she turned her head to the side and pressed a tender kiss to Sylvanas’s jaw. “You were the one starting things. I just wanted to bathe.”

“Did you not enjoy yourself?” Sylvanas asked in one of those purrs that rolled so easily from her tongue before she brushed a contrastingly innocent kiss to the tip of Jaina’s nose.

“Very much.” With that, Jains raised a hand behind her own head to touch the opposite side of Sylvanas’s face. “You were dreaming last night…” She observed with a faint furrow of her brows. 

Sylvanas shifted slowly in response until they were facing each other - legs draped and tangled together as their backs met opposite sides of the spacious tub. Instead of looking reproachful or defensive, Sylvanas’s expression was open in a way Jaina hadn't expected.

“I dream often.” Sylvanas started softly as Jaina searched for her hand beneath the water and twined their fingers together. “I believe you call them nightmares.” 

Jaina nodded her understanding. “I thought as much…would I be prying if I asked you what plagues your dreams? You needn't tell me. It's only...you've never seen yourself sleep, obviously. But when you sleep peacefully…it's so beautiful. I could fall asleep to the way you breathe. To the way your chest just barely moves. And to see that change is…” Jaina fell silent for just a moment. Sylvanas seemed content to let her gather her thoughts. “It's only that I've never wished I could follow someone into their dreams just to be sure they stayed dreams.”

Sylvanas blinked softly. It took a beat for those words and the sincerity in them to sink in. 

“You have every right to ask me anything you wish.” Sylvanas finally said once she was sure she could manage to form her thoughts into something coherent. “I think it isn’t uncommon to live the life I’ve led and re-live it at times when you sleep.” 

“You dream of war then?” Jaina asked gently as she sank a little further into the water. She was a little caught off-guard when Sylvanas lifted one of her legs so that her foot was resting against her stomach. Even more surprised when Sylvanas began gently kneading along her calf. It was utterly blissful. 

“Often,” Sylvanas responded simply, though she offered Jaina a faint smile. “For decades. Don’t fret on my account. It’s simply the nature of things.” 

“Is it?” Jaina asked - her tone strangely earnest all suddenly. “Do you truly believe that it has to be?” 

Sylvanas seemed to freeze for a moment as her ears shifted - causing the golden leaf dangling from one of them to make a soft, chime-like sound. Something Jaina wasn’t entirely familiar with passed through Sylvanas’s eyes as her brow furrowed in thought. 

“Is it enough to tell you that I wish it didn’t?” She finally asked in response. “But that I will fight for my home until my last breath?” 

Jaina swallowed thickly. She hadn’t expected a lump to rise in her throat so quickly. “Yes, I...I suppose that’s a rather logical response.” 

As if sensing Jaina’s shift in mood, Sylvanas gave her a lop-sided little smile and her ears cocked. It was a very visible…very adorable entreaty. “Do you have any other questions?” 

“Are all elves hairless?” Jaina asked suddenly - so suddenly, in fact, that it caught Sylvanas off-guard entirely. Enough that she really had no choice but to laugh. 

“No. No, I…” Another bout of laughter came in response to Jaina looking rather disgruntled. “It’s only my preference to be.” 

Jaina gave Sylvanas a moment to calm down before splashing her directly in the face with water.

It was tense for a beat. 

Just before Sylvanas returned the splash full-force. 

Soon enough, the polished marble floors of Sylvanas’s bathing room were drenched and they were tangled in each other all over again in the now half-empty tub. 

They were nearly late for dinner.

But as it turned out, it wasn’t quite the formal affair Jaina had been expecting. 

In the corridor outside Lireesa’s private rooms, she found herself swept from her feet and into the arms of Lirath in a hearty, familiar hug that caused her to laugh as Sylvanas waited nearby wearing a pleased smile. 

“Everyone is already inside. We’re just waiting on Mother and you two. You’re going to be the best sister, by the way.” Lirath said excitedly as he held Jaina out at arms’ length and grinned from ear-to-ear. He ignored the alarmed look his actual sister cast in his direction from over Jaina’s shoulder in response to this observation.

“Am I?” Jaina asked in a conspiratorial tone. “I think you are.” 

Lirath snorted. It wasn’t in the least bit graceful. But his otherwise head-to-toe flawlessness made up for it. “I’ll do my best.” He acquiesced with a rather exaggerated bow before excusing himself through the door. As soon as it opened, Jaina could smell the food. She had no idea how much of an appetite she must have worked up until now. 

Then, Jaina was alone with Sylvanas again. Looking nervous all over again. 

Sylvanas offered her a soft smile and approached her to wrap her in a warm hug. “It’ll be better this time.” She murmured against Jaina’s cheek before pressing a kiss there. “I won’t be quite such an insufferable ass.” 

“You weren’t.” Jaina countered reproachfully as she held onto the tunic Sylvanas had on tightly. 

“I was,” Sylvanas said as she pulled back enough to look in Jaina’s eyes. Her hands came up to cradle the mage’s face, then, as Jaina leaned into her. “I’ll make it up to you for as long as you’ll let me.” 

“Well, Lirath seems to think we’re going to be sisters…” 

“That’s the idea,” Sylvanas whispered, and Jaina felt her stomach attempt a rather ill-timed somersault. 

“Lady Proudmoore…” 

Sylvanas jumped harder than Jaina did at her mother’s sudden presence. But then, she’d always been rather skilled at popping up out of nowhere. 

Jaina pulled away from the rather intimate moment they were sharing, despite the fact that she knew there was nothing wrong with it. Not here, anyway. Not with Sylvanas’s people. It was habit. One that she would have to do better to learn to break, if the slightly questioning look on Sylvanas’s face was anything to go by. 

“Lord Regent.” Jaina greeted the stately woman with a bow of her head that Lireesa stopped with a hand beneath her chin as she approached. 

“Lireesa. Just Lireesa.” She corrected gently as she slowly lowered her hand from Jaina’s chin. “You must learn your importance here. I should be the one bowing to you for solving the riddle that is my daughter’s heart.” 

Jaina was blushing. But she was also smiling. 

“There,” Lireesa said as she returned that smile. All at once, that expression brought a certain warmth to Lireesa’s otherwise cold, hawk-like features that spoke of family and love more than war and regency. “Might I have a moment alone with my daughter? I promise my other children are much tamer than her. You’ll be safe. Well...Alleria could use some polishing, but if that hasn’t happened in the last few hundred years, it probably won’t. So please, forgive me for her.” 

Jaina felt so at ease after the laugh they shared that she didn’t even mind walking into these as-yet unfamiliar rooms to join as-yet unfamiliar people. People that all greeted her like she was already family. 

Lireesa had been absolutely right. Their comments ranged from congratulations and warm welcomes to a ‘How have you been enjoying my sister?’ followed by an exaggerated eyebrow waggle from Alleria, which earned her a sharp jab from Vereesa. 

“Oh, forgive my Common, Jaina. It’s not my first language, after all.” Alleria said as she side-eyed Vereesa while still addressing Jaina. “How have you been enjoying your time with my sister?” 

Sylvanas, meanwhile, was having a much more serious conversation in the hallway outside. 

“I saw you with her just now, you know,” Lireesa said as she reached out to run her fingers through a loose wave of her daughter’s hair. 

“I didn’t hear you…” Sylvanas knew that statement was superfluous as soon as it left her lips. 

“I didn’t intend for you to.” Lireesa countered in an equally unnecessary statement. Her expression softened, however, and she reached towards her neck to pull the delicate necklace she wore from where it had been and always was tucked carefully beneath her shirt. 

Sylvanas’s eyes followed the path Lireesa’s hands took until the necklace was being extended to her. A delicate golden leaf on an equally delicate golden chain. A leaf that matched the one currently dangling from her ear. One of only two identical pieces. Unique only to her. 

“Mother, I’m not…” 

“You’ll know when you are ready,” Lireesa said gently, and Sylvanas finally took it from her to tuck it into the sash she was wearing around her waist. “As I said, I saw you with her.”

“And what did you see?” Sylvanas asked quietly. It was a genuine question. One that sounded like a daughter seeking guidance. 

“I saw what I’ve always hoped in my heart of hearts you would have,” Lireesa responded, and Sylvanas remained quiet. 

Instead, she leaned into her mother and found herself in an easy, immediate hug. 

Sylvanas had been right. 

This dinner went much better than the first had. 

There was much ribbing centered around the fact that Sylvanas insisted upon serving Jaina from their spread. 

And what a spread it was. 

Duck cooked in its own fat and then seared off in some sort of sweet, savory glaze. Every bite slipped from the bone at the mere sight of a fork. 

Then, there were the sides. 

Foraged forest mushrooms - light and delicate in nature, made a bit heavier by the butter and fresh herbs they’d been sauteed in. 

And of course, honey rolls. Of which even Jaina had a few too many. 

When everyone had finally admitted defeat, and Liadrin passed Lireesa a rather elegantly carved pipe she had packed for her, Jaina sighed. An over-sated, contented sound that had Sylvanas reaching for her thigh beneath the table. 

“This was so lovely. I swear you must have every dish enchanted…” Jaina remarked good-naturedly. 

Lireesa snorted as she lit her pipe, and Jaina was none-too-shocked to find the scent of the smoke nearly as pleasant as the food as Lireesa leaned back in her chair. 

“No enchantments here. Just a remarkable chef. And thank Belore for her, because none of us can cook.” 

Lirath cast a wounded look in his mother’s direction. 

“My apologies,” Lireesa added as she eyed him slyly. “Lirath tries his best.” 

He looked oddly pleased by the “compliment”, and it made Jaina laugh.

“However, I can’t wait to see your reaction to the first dinner you attend with the noble houses, where the food and wine serve themselves, and the plates have a mind of their own when they need clearing.” 

Jaina looked almost appalled, and Lireesa nodded her commiseration with a lift of her brows and another drag on the long stem of her pipe. “Ridiculous, I know. But it becomes a contest to see which House can best entertain our Council. We could care less, of course. For the most part, we enjoy placing bets on who will be dressed in the most ridiculously tasteless clothing.” 

“If Talthressar attends the next banquet, it will most certainly be his mother, who has been trying to seduce Alleria on behalf of her son for the better part of a century.” 

Alleria made an exaggerated sound of disgust. “I have no interest in being seduced on his behalf, but I do find it rather amusing how long she’s kept up her charade considering he has literally no interest in women. A shame, really. He’s rather handsome.” 

“Oh?” Lirath asked with a sudden, sharp tone of interest. 

“Devastatingly attractive.” Alleria continued, clearly enjoying egging her little brother on. 

“Go on.” 

“And a complete idiot outside of anything to do with being a Farstrider.” 

“He sounds perfect.” Lirath drawled - his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Alleria laughed in a way that could only be described as a cackle. 

“Enough, you two.” Lireesa chided with a lowering of her eyelids. “Alleria, your brother needs to find a smart boy or he’ll be bored to death. None of your forest-addled young men for my perfect baby boy.” 

“Forest-addled?!” Alleria and Sylvanas demanded almost in unison, and Lireesa only lifted a brow in response. 

Jaina could barely breathe. 

By the time dinner was officially over, they were all at least a little tipsy on wine, and their faces were sore from smiling. 

It was the best Jaina had felt in ages. Even being utterly exhausted felt so _right_, here. By the time they reached Sylvanas’s rooms, Sylvanas was half-supporting her with a hand around her waist. 

They somehow managed to find their way into bed after kicking off their shoes, and Jaina wound up nearly falling into Sylvanas’s arms. 

Sylvanas pressed what had to be the gentlest kiss Jaina had ever experienced to her forehead before speaking. “Better this time?” She asked in a murmur that sounded as sleepy as Jaina felt. 

“It was so good.” Jaina breathed as she reached for Sylvanas’s sash. 

Sylvanas quickly removed it, herself - leaving the necklace that was tucked there bundled inside of it as she slid it beneath one of her many pillows while Jaina was distracted trying to get them both out of at least enough of their clothing to sleep in. 

“I’m glad,” Sylvanas said when they were finally tucked back against each other with a passable amount of skin touching skin. As though there could ever be enough, right now. Even knowing all they were fit for was sleep - they were so utterly drawn to one another. 

“What did your mother talk to you about earlier? In the hallway?” Jaina asked as she suddenly remembered their earlier exchange. 

“Something to be discussed later.” 

The words might have sounded dismissive coming from anyone else. But Sylvanas’s tone was such that Jaina felt oddly reassured, even if her curiosity had only intensified. 

It was all but forgotten soon enough, though. 

Sylvanas was far too good with her hands for Jaina’s tired mind to think about anything other than the way they played through her hair and along her back. 

Sleep came quickly and easily for both of them that night.


	17. Under the Stars

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“Are you excited?” Sylvanas asked with a soft smile as she tightened the straps on the pack hanging from her horse’s saddle.

Jaina laughed quietly as she did the same and swung herself up onto her own mount with a level of practiced ease that Sylvanas could certainly appreciate. “I think I’ll enjoy myself if that’s what you’re asking. A leisurely overnight hunt is something I don’t generally allow myself.”

“Have you ever been on an overnight hunt?” Sylvanas asked with a lift of her brow as she pulled herself up into her own saddle and nudged her horse forward. 

She was joined soon after by Jaina, and they took off at an easy pace as they continued their conversation. 

“I can’t say that I have. I’ve been on hunts, of course. But a Lady of my status…” Jaina trailed off and feigned an aloof expression that gave Sylvanas a chuckle. 

“Well, a lady of your status is going to spend the night under the stars with me.” Sylvanas countered when she got her laughter out of the way. 

“As it should be,” Jaina said easily, still affecting an accent that Sylvanas hadn’t yet heard, but found entirely too amusing. “One expects to be courted adequately, after all. And I can’t imagine anything more romantic than a night under the stars of Quel’Thalas with its esteemed Ranger-General.” 

“I take it I’m going to be doing the plucking if I manage to bag enough birds for our dinner, then?” Sylvanas sidled her horse a little closer, then. Close enough that their calves were almost touching as they rode.

“Naturally.” Jaina scoffed as she cut her eyes in Sylvanas’s direction to catch her smiling. An uncontrollable, happy smile that Jaina was mirroring on her own face. 

They spent much of the ride in easy silence, and Jaina found that she very much enjoyed Sylvanas’s explanations of various unfamiliar sounds and fauna. It wasn’t condescending or self-important. It was just...thoughtful. It was Sylvanas knowing that Jaina found things like this interesting. 

And Jaina couldn’t do much about the warm feeling this caused to settle in her chest. It remained there for most of the day. All the way until well-kept paths turned into trails Jaina barely recognized, yet Sylvanas seemed to know like the back of her hand. Even the horses seemed comfortable in the gradually thickening forests, which Jaina found rather impressive. 

Then again, Jaina found many things impressive. Especially the moment when Sylvanas unhooked her bow from her saddle and drew an arrow from her quiver in response to a barely-noticeable flicker in the canopy above. 

One near-silent bowshot later, and a bird was falling from directly overhead. 

A bird that Sylvanas caught in her free hand without even having to dismount. She tucked it into the pouch hanging from her saddle, wiped her arrow clean and slipped it back into her quiver. 

When she finished, she turned her attention to Jaina and offered her an almost sheepish smile. 

“Impressive,” Jaina said, as though that was something that actually needed to be said. 

Sylvanas scored them another bird before too long, and the prospect of a good meal when they made camp that night was one that had them both in high spirits. As though being in each other's company - and _just_ each other’s company - hadn’t already gotten them there. 

Jaina had been more than a little nervous about this for a good many reasons. Not the least of which was wondering whether or not this would feel the same when it wasn’t secret and, as a result, more exciting than it might have been otherwise. 

But every time she looked at Sylvanas, she was more and more convinced that she needn’t have been worried at all. She was even more lovely, both physically and otherwise, out here in the trees. Like she belonged here more than anywhere else. More than the gilded rooms and corridors of Silvermoon. Certainly more than Theramore. 

It was so wonderful to see her this way. 

And the pang in her chest told her that she was only falling more hopelessly in love than she could have ever prepared herself for. 

“Sylvanas?” 

The other woman looked in her direction and even shifted in her saddle to give her that much more of her attention. 

“I’m really enjoying this. I’m enjoying being with you. I just thought you should know.” 

Sylvanas looked a little caught off-guard at that. Her mouth even fell open for a moment before any words came out. “I...I’m glad. I’m enjoying it, as well.” She looked like she was about to say something else for a moment before her cheeks colored and she instead looked ahead and towards the path. 

“Sylvanas Windrunner...are you blushing?” Jaina asked as she ducked her head a little and couldn’t help but grin. 

“No,” Sylvanas said quickly. “I just...I’m glad. I’m glad that you’re enjoying being out here with me. It’s my favorite place to be, and I rarely get the opportunity to do it at any kind of leisurely pace. I’m glad to share it with you, especially.” 

It was Jaina’s turn to blush, then. Gods, this was ridiculous. 

And wonderful. 

By the time they got to wherever Sylvanas had been taking them, the sun was low behind the trees, and Jaina was more than glad for a break. It had been a very long time since she’d taken a ride this long. But the soreness in her legs wasn’t all bad. 

It was almost nice, really. 

Sylvanas, meanwhile, found herself surprised and how naturally they fell into a rhythm. While she worked on the little tent she’d packed after pulling the tack from their horses, Jaina had started working on the birds. And she was surprisingly good at field-dressing them. 

Enough so that Sylvans couldn’t help watching her every now and then. 

And it was rather nice to have a mage around camp. The fire came together nicely, anyway. 

In fact. It was only just getting dark when they were set up for the night - with the birds dressed and waiting on a rock near the fire, and Sylvanas emerged from their little tent with a blanket that she could spread out near the fire for them to sit on. 

“Is this a good time to tell you that I can’t cook?” Sylvanas asked with a wry smile that had Jaina laughing quietly. 

“I have terrible news,” Jaina responded, and Sylvanas’s smile turned into something softer. 

“Well. I suppose we’ll do our best.” Sylvanas offered, dragging her pack over towards them and pulling a small leather camp-kit from it. It contained what one would need if one were to cook over a fire. A couple essential spices, some collapsible spits. 

“You never cease to amaze me,” Jaina remarked as she examined everything and wound up arranging a combination of spits and sticks over the fire so they could essentially grill their dinner. “Spices in your camp kit…” 

“We all have spices in our kits.” Sylvanas defended with a frown as she watched Jaina sprinkle the birds in a way that suggested she might be at least a little better with food than she was. “Morale. Have you seen how much we eat? We eat twice as much in the field, because there are times we won’t eat for days.”

“Days?” Jaina asked with a look of shock on her face as she finally placed the birds over the fire. 

“At times. During times of war, especially. We can go a long time surviving on whatever we can eat in the saddle.” Sylvanas produced something else from her bag. A little bar-shaped item that Jaina took from her to examine. 

It looked like oats and dried fruits pressed together, and Jaina broke a corner off to taste it. “It’s a lot better than the hard bread human armies tend to carry.” Jaina offered, and Sylvanas looked appalled. 

“What is that?” 

“Just...very dry, very hard bread,” Jaina explained with a little laugh. 

“Terrible,” Sylvanas whispered as she plopped down on her side on the blanket and slowly let her attention shift to the flickering flames of their campfire. 

Jaina noticed her mood had sobered the next time she looked over, and she frowned as she leaned down onto an elbow so that she could reach out to stroke over her head through her hood. “There’s something on your mind…” 

Sylvanas nodded faintly and turned her head until she was able to press a soft kiss against Jaina’s palm. “Do you still intend to go to Northrend?” 

“I do,” Jaina responded without hesitation. “I would finish what I couldn’t before.” 

Sylvanas stared into the flames a while longer, and Jaina shifted until Sylvanas found it easy to adjust herself so that her head was in Jaina’s lap. 

“We’ll finish it together, Jaina,” Sylvanas responded as she reached for one of Jaina’s hands and pulled it against her chest.

“I thought this would be where you tried to stop me.” Jaina’s voice was quiet as she reached over Sylvanas to adjust their birds over the coals. 

“I have no right to stop you from anything,” Sylvanas responded without hesitation. 

Jaina smiled. A little half-smile that Sylvanas didn’t see, but that she could hear in her voice when next she spoke. “Why? Because you haven’t married me, yet?” 

“I nor any other person has that right, Jaina. Married or not. Though I do intend to marry you.” 

“Do you?” Jaina asked, clearly amused - and Sylvanas finally rolled onto her back so that she could look up at her. 

“Obviously. I would be a fool not to marry you, considering you seem willing to entertain the idea.” 

“I’m more than entertaining it, aren’t I?” Jaina mused as Sylvanas regarded her for a moment before pushing herself up just enough that she could brush their lips together. 

Jaina, discontent with the quickness of the kiss, caught the back of Sylvanas’s neck with her hand and kissed her again - lingering against her lips for a while this time. 

“Are you?” Sylvanas asked in a whisper before biting Jaina’s lip gently. Just enough that the mage’s next breath caught a bit on its way out. “More than just considering it?” 

“Can’t a Lady have any secrets?” Jaina asked as Sylvanas sat up a bit more and continued kissing her. First, the corner of her mouth. Then a warm, soft trail along her jaw. 

“Not this one.” Sylvanas murmured against her ear. 

“Yes. Yes, it’s more than consideration. Consideration turned into hope a while ago, actually.”

“Good.” Sylvanas pulled back and looked as though she were going to continue speaking before one of her ears flicked back and she brushed her fingertips against Jaina’s lips to keep her quiet. 

She felt Jaina’s magic bristle when both their eyes landed on a set of glowing ones just outside the clearing they’d made camp in, but Sylvanas rested a hand against Jaina’s arm. 

“Just watch.” She whispered, glancing towards the birds that were still cooking at back up at the creature that was watching them. 

“What...what is it?” Jaina asked in confusion as Sylvanas reached over towards the fire and pulled one of the birds from where it was roasting. 

“It’s just hungry,” Sylvanas responded as a flash of red fur and a ripple of muscle came into view. 

If Jaina hadn’t been suddenly highly concerned, she might have found the lynx beautiful. But Sylvanas seemed strangely calm as she tossed half their dinner towards the edge of the clearing only for the cat to level a look in their direction before snatching it and darting away. 

Jaina remained quiet as her heart raced in her chest while Sylvanas settled back down, no longer on high-alert. “He’s gone,” Sylvanas reassured with a gentle smile. “I’m sorry about our dinner.” 

“I...no. No, it’s fine. Can I ask why you let it go? Why you fed it?” 

Sylvanas shrugged faintly and turned their remaining bird over before checking it for doneness. “They lost their homes when he came, too. They’ll sort it out eventually. But I think it’s our responsibility to help them along if we’re in that sort of position. Besides, some animals of Quel’Thalas aren’t as wild as you think.” 

“And what of its people?” Jaina asked with a furrow of her brow. “I just watched you feed an apex predator like it was some sort of songbird.” 

“Oh, a little wild perhaps,” Sylvanas said as she settled back down, sitting close enough to Jaina that she could rest a hand against her thigh. Does that worry you?“

“Not at all.” Jaina sighed as she leaned into Sylvanas. “It’s refreshing. It’s so easy to forget just how...well, important you are when we’re alone together.”

“You’re just as important.” Sylvanas countered. 

“But not out here. Not with you. I think perhaps that’s one of the best parts of being with you. Isn’t it nice? To just love and be loved? Like each of us isn’t carrying the weight of a nation on our shoulders?” 

“I suppose it is. And that I never really believed that was something I could have. So...just. Be careful for me. Of course, we’ll go over our maneuvers with you and specifics when we begin to coordinate, but...this is just you and I.” Sylvanas gestured above them, where the stars they’d been discussing earlier were currently shining, and she offered her an almost beseeching smile. “And I want to do this again. When we both make it home. And again, and again.” 

Jaina might have found this a little ridiculous coming from anyone else. From referencing the stars to how poetically she’d phrased her words. 

But god, it wasn’t ridiculous right now. It was...somehow perfect. 

“I have no intention of not making it home. But I do have every intention of spending many quiet evenings alone with you.” 

Sylvanas’s expression did little to hide the emotion she was feeling right then. Even if words had finally failed her. As if in consolation, she reached to tilt Jaina’s chin and deliver the softest kiss he could muster. 

“You make me happy, Jaina Proudmoore.” She whispered as she rested their foreheads together. 

“I think it goes without saying that the feeling is very mutual. But it is very mutual.” 

Jaina watched that same thing happen to Sylvanas that had happened to her earlier, then. Like she was all too used to knowing just how good she was at being a General and everything that came with that...but incredibly unused to anything else. Even in the firelight, Jaina could see the other woman’s cheeks get darker despite the golden tan that already covered her skin. 

They shared their remaining bird in comfortable, contented silence and when they were done, Sylvanas tossed what was left into the fire and stood to begin stripping herself of her clothing, much to Jaina’s utter, visible disbelief. 

“What are you doing?” She asked in a whisper, as though someone might hear. 

“I need to bathe. I’ve been riding all day.” Sylvanas explained simply as she tossed her shirt aside and lifted an eyebrow in Jaina’s direction. Her boots followed quickly thereafter. 

“Where?” Jaina demanded as she stood and glanced from the pile of clothing on the ground to a now very naked Sylvanas. 

“The stream,” Sylvanas responded with a curious tilt of her head. “You can’t hear it, can you?”

Jaina pursed her lips, and Sylvanas gave her an impish little grin as she reached for her and pulled her close. “Where do you think the horses wandered off to? It’s just down the hill outside of camp.” 

Jaina nearly sputtered when Sylvanas gave the laces holding her shirt closed a quick, efficient tug. 

“I’ll race you.” Sylvanas murmured against the corner of Jaina’s mouth as she slowly drew the mage’s shirt out of the waistband of her leggings and dragged her fingertips along the soft skin of her stomach. 

“What do I get if I win?” Jaina asked despite the fact that her face was absolutely on fire right then. Even if she knew damn well no one was around. That they hadn’t seen anyone for miles and miles, and that Sylvanas very likely knew exactly where the nearest Ranger unit was posted for the evening. 

“Me.” Sylvanas offered as she unbuttoned Jaina’s pants and began drawing them down her legs. 

Soon enough, Jaina was just as naked as Sylvanas was - only Sylvanas was very much not embarrassed. Not in the least. 

Nor was she embarrassed to take in the sight of Jaina standing there in the firelight. 

“Oh,” Jaina muttered, nearly crossing her arms over her chest before she realized just how silly that would be. “Well. Alright, then.” 

“I’ll give you a ten-second head start.” Sylvanas offered as she gestured in the direction of the stream that Jaina still very much couldn’t hear. 

Sylvanas was...very surprised when Jaina suddenly darted away from her and out of camp. 

Of course, Sylvanas beat her. 

Of course, after a few seconds - Sylvanas was nothing but a blur as she passed her, running through the soft grass and the softer leaves until she was splashing her way rather loudly into the deeper parts of the stream she had promised would be there.

And the sound of their laughter mingling as they ran, and as they finally met in the surprisingly warm water, was one of the loveliest things Jaina had ever heard. 

She couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt this free. Swimming and splashing and occasionally being tugged backward for a teasing kiss. 

It was so wonderful.

It was so needed. 

And in the end, despite her lack of victory, Jaina still got her prize. And more than once. On a rock ledge of the stream that was still sun-warm. In the water, not long after she managed to dunk Sylvanas’s head beneath it - only to discover she could hold her breath for a _ridiculously_ long time. 

Even back at camp, it seemed neither of them would ever be able to keep their hands away from each other again. At least not tonight. 

And considering what was looming on the horizon, it was a much-needed reprieve for both of them.


	18. Promises Made

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“Lireesa…”

“Enough, Liadrin,” Lireesa said - her voice quiet but even in a way that left no room for argument. That even made Liadrin wince. Yet, she continued checking the buckles along the backs of her own calves for tightness and movement until she was satisfied. 

Only then did she look up at her wife - at the battle-scarred regalia she had already begun removing. Liadrin was a touch faster at insuring her fit than Lireesa was. She was far more used to wearing armor...and far more agile. 

“You would have me sit here, then?” Lireesa asked as she stood with Liadrin’s eyes on her all the while. “Like some old maid? Waiting for death to catch up to me? Waiting for age to take me? I am nowhere near that point, Liadrin. And I won’t send my children to fight my war.” 

“It’s _our_ war,” Liadrin responded adamantly. It had taken a long time to not find the sight of Lireesa in her dark-as-night regalia intimidating. But it had also been a long time since. “And it seems an unnecessary risk.” 

It was all the more striking since her hair had gone silver, and the long, straight strands of it lay splayed over the black fur that lined her hood. She didn’t look at all like she needed protecting. Like she needed coddling. 

She looked like the General she was when Liadrin first met her, all those years ago. When she’d treated many, many of the scars that she knew were hidden beneath the older woman’s armor. 

“It is no risk at all for my army to see me fighting at their side in an unfamiliar land. Only a boon.” Lireesa responded simply as she walked past Liadrin towards the fire that burned in their hearth - seeking its warmth before their departure into the hellish, frigid landscape that awaited them in the morning. 

But she was caught but a strong hand around her arm, and she very nearly pulled away before Liadrin spoke. 

“It seems unnecessary because I do not intend to lose you, Lireesa. Not today, or tomorrow, or the next. I _will not_.” Liadrin’s voice was shaking ever so slightly, and it made Lireesa’s ears twitch before they sank against her hood. 

“You know as well as I that I can’t stay here,” Lireesa said, her voice losing a touch of the edge that had been hardening it since this discussion began. She unclasped her cloak, then, and draped it over the sofa near the fireplace. As careful as she’d been about putting her armor on, she was just as eager to have it off now that she was confident her armorers still knew her measurements well. 

“I know.” Liadrin breathed, tightening her grip enough that Lireesa had little choice but to turn and face her. “Find it in your heart to forgive my trying.” 

Lireesa’s eyes turned to meet Liadrin’s then. Already, the green that had been dancing in her irises had faded more. Allowed some of the silver to show through, again. 

Their mages and their priests had been hard at work at the Sunwell. Liadrin just hadn’t realized before exactly how hard. 

And her breath caught at the sight. 

“Please.” Liadrin wasn’t entirely certain that word had made it past her lips until everything about Lireesa’s expression softened. Until her features shifted with a suddenness that anyone other than Liadrin might have found alarming into something soft and almost apologetic. 

“Don’t fret, Liadrin,” Lireesa murmured as Liadrin’s grip slowly loosened. “You aren’t quite done with me, yet. I won’t let a little snow and a self-important lich remove me from this world so easily.” 

Liadrin finally lowered her hand, then, to the dark leather cuirass that Lireesa wore, and began unbuckling it - first one side, then the other, until she could finally remove it as she seemed to think those words over. 

“He’s not a simple lich.” She finally settled on, her head hung and her gaze averted once again. 

Until Lireesa caught the underside of her chin with her hand and lifted it so she had no choice but to meet her gaze again. 

“And I am no simple woman.” 

Liadrin exhaled softly through her nose and the corner of her lips quirked just enough for Lireesa to notice. “That, you are not.” 

“With you at my side, I am worth an army.” She continued even as Liadrin allowed her to begin devesting her of her own armor. 

Liadrin found it mildly irritating that Lireesa wasn’t exaggerating. 

She knew how to keep Lireesa moving. How to keep the ache from her bones. She knew how to allow her wife to move like she was young again. It was second nature, now. So easy to weave the Light into Lireesa and stay in tune with her. 

And when Lireesa was young, she had been worth more than just an army. Liadrin had seen it with her own eyes. Within her mind, Lireesa held more knowledge of combat than perhaps anyone Liadrin had ever known. To see her move with her blades in hand was to see a legend from a tale come to life. 

It was just easy to forget that at times. It was easy to let her heart overtake her mind and for love to outweigh logic. 

Lireesa responded to Liadrin’s silence by tilting her head just enough to brush their lips together once she had the other woman down to her undershirt. 

“There is nothing to forgive,” Lireesa said softly, still very near to Liadrin’s lips as she felt the other woman’s hands slowly start to thread into her hair. To grip it in a way that kept her close. That kept her right where she was. “To be loved is no hardship.” 

“I do love you,” Liadrin whispered almost urgently as her thumbs graze Lireesa’s ears. 

Lireesa wasn’t certain with Liadrin’s hands had begun to tremble. She only knew that they were. Almost imperceptibly. But the former General was nothing if not perceptive. 

Her hand moved, then, to cover the place against Liadrin’s chest where she knew a necklace hung beneath her shirt. Where it almost always was. 

A small feather in white gold with markings along its vein unique only to Lireesa. One that Liadrin had carried since the day they had first promised themselves to each other. 

“And I you.” Lireesa responded gently as one of Liadrin’s hands moved to cover her own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina looked down at the brilliant golden leaf she was now holding in her hands. She ran her thumb over an inscription she didn’t recognize and then felt of the almost weightless metal the delicate chain was made of, and then finally - she lifted her gaze to Sylvanas.

“It’s beautiful.” She whispered, her eyes flicking to the jewelry dangling from Sylvanas’s ear - a piece that was clearly the mate to the one she now held. “I...I’m afraid I don’t understand the markings.” 

Sylvanas sat down on the edge of the bed next to where Jaina had plopped upon being presented what she had assumed was a gift, and reached out to touch along those markings gently with her thumb. “These are very old markings that equate to my name.” 

Jaina examined it a little more closely, then, and then looked back up at Sylvanas. “It’s the same as your earring.” She finally observed, and her brows furrowed at the strangely conflicted look on Sylvanas’s face. “There’s something on your mind…Sylvanas, what is this?” 

“An identifier,” Sylvanas said. “My mother would have carried to Northrend, if not for you.” 

Jaina licked her lips when she found them suddenly dry, and held the necklace a little closer to her. “What kind of identifier?” 

“Only two people can possess a Ranger’s identifier at any given time. Either their closest surviving family member, or their mate. Their partner. It’s what gives you the right to claim it’s owners remains in the event of their passing in the line of duty. If their body is marred, the identifier will still know.” 

Jaina let out a breath that trembled on its way out, and her face fell as she shook her head. That would explain the very faint thrum of magic she felt within the beautifully crafted piece. “Sylvanas…”

“Don’t act like it’s a death sentence,” Sylvanas whispered, attempting a soft smile as she rested her hand against Jaina’s back. “It’s a promise. It’s a promise that if you choose to wear it, you will wear it for many, many years to come. It’s something very important to us. It means we’ll always come home. That there will always be someone out there in the world with the ability to get us back to Quel’Thalas. It helps when that person is someone we know and love. And trust.” 

Jaina held the necklace a little closer, then, and nodded her understanding. “That’s as beautiful as the necklace is.” 

Sylvanas tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a breath - and her face fell quickly into something that Jaina recognized, now, as vulnerability. “Will you wear it, Jaina?” 

“Yes.” She answered, and she hadn’t even hesitated. She couldn’t have. Even as overwhelming as it was, Jaina couldn’t imagine telling Sylvanas she couldn’t be that person for her. Because she couldn’t imagine Sylvanas not coming home, no matter the circumstance. She’d never seen someone belong somewhere this way. The way Sylvanas belonged in this city and, even more so, the forests beyond it. 

Sylvanas took the necklace from her, then, and shifted behind her on the bed. 

This wasn’t the first time Jaina had lifted her hair for a necklace to be latched against the nape of her neck. 

But it was the first time delicate fingertips had caressed her shoulders afterward. It was the first time silken lips had brushed behind her ear and then found the corner of her jaw. “Nothing is going to happen to me, because nothing is going to happen to you. And I have to be alive to be sure of that.” Sylvanas’s voice was a low murmur against her skin - pressing those reassurances into the very core of her being. 

“I can handle myself,” Jaina whispered as she reached behind herself to find the back of Sylvanas’s neck to keep her close. “I promise.” 

“How?” Sylvanas asked against her ear. “When I can only just handle you?” 

Jaina couldn’t help but smile as she turned to press Sylvanas down into the bed. There was a strange mingling of emotions in the other woman’s eyes. Concern. Adoration. Perhaps a little want. Want that was threatening to turn into need. 

“You handle me just fine.” Jaina said as she let a little of her weight rest down against Sylvanas. 

Sylvanas found it so comforting. So real. And that was something she desperately needed tonight. She smiled her appreciation up at Jaina and reached to toy with the tight braid she’d put her hair up in so she wouldn’t have to worry with it in the morning. “Do I?” Sylvanas asked in a low murmur, and Jaina only laughed quietly as she rested her head against her chest. 

“Stop fishing for compliments. Clearly I’m obsessed with the very idea of you, much less what you do to me in the bedroom.” 

“Fine,” Sylvanas muttered - trying to feign petulance and only succeeding in producing more laughter from Jaina. Until Jaina was shifting just enough to prop herself up on one elbow and look down at the woman beneath her. 

Sylvanas regarded her for a while before her smile finally faded. Belore, it was like Jaina could see into her soul at times. 

“You need to go soon,” Jaina remarked with a faint frown. “To be with them, don’t you?” 

“With my Rangers? Yes…in an hour or so.” Sylvanas sounded more reluctant than Jaina had expected her to. “And you have to get back to your own.” 

“They are enjoying their time in Silvermoon, I’m certain,” Jaina said. “Elves are becoming known for their hospitality. Who would have thought?” 

Sylvanas wrinkled her nose in response to that comment, and then slowly moved to sit up with Jaina still in her lap. She moved them towards the headboard and leaned back against it as Jaina got settled in her lap and enjoyed the feeling of Sylvanas’s hands stroking along her thighs. 

“Talk to me, Sylvanas.” Jaina sounded so earnest that Sylvanas felt almost guilty over her silence. 

“I’m not the best company before battle.” She admitted quietly. “I have never had an evening like this one before one, actually. I’ve never had so much to lose before. Between my Rangers, my mother, and you...my mind wanders to dark places. To places it shouldn’t.” 

“I’ve been working with your brother and his mages at every opportunity. I’m confident our losses will be minimal.” Jaina’s voice was steeled, suddenly. And Sylvanas looked at her strangely as a result. 

“You sound more the General than I do, right now.” 

“You can be the General an hour from now. In the meantime, I want nothing more than to ease your worries.” 

“You always do,” Sylvanas responded easily. 

Because it was true. For the first time in her life, Sylvanas had found a place where her burdens grew lighter instead of heavier.

And that place was wherever Jaina was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A flash of light.

A mirror in the hand of the Ranger-General of Silvermoon at the head of their combined forces. Easily seen as it shone, even through the biting wind and blinding snow. 

One flash. Two. 

Three.

Darkness to Jaina’s right as Lireesa broke from the ranks of Liadrin’s soldiers and rode ahead to speak with her daughter. 

Another large, shadowy figure of horse and ride departed from her left. From the mage corp, to ride up and meet them. 

Jaina couldn’t hear them. 

She couldn’t see them, no matter how she strained. 

And then she felt a hand on her wrist and looked over to find Lirath gesturing to the scroll that was attached to her belt. One that matched the one on his own, and on the belt of every member of their expansive party. 

She unscrolled it despite the numbness in her gloved hands and read over the words as they began to appear upon the page. 

_Scourge in the valley below. _

_Two dozen. _

_Unaware of our presence. _

_Clear the valley from above._

_Stealth remains essential._

Jaina rolled the scroll back up and tucked it back where it had been. 

“Are you ready, sister of my heart?” Lirath asked as he pulled his staff from where it hung behind him against his saddle. “This is where we come in.” 

Jaina gave him a firm nod and slipped from the back of her mount even as every other mage in her unit did the same. 

It was almost terrifying to Jaina. The efficiency with which the Rangers from the back of their ranks threaded through the mages to line the ridge in front of them. Silent. Deadly. 

Jaina had already seen them in action. 

And then she saw Sylvanas. She saw the sharpness of her hawk-like gaze as she moved to the ridge and crouched down so near to its edge Jaina feared she would fall. 

Jaina would never understand how Sylvanas had counted the scourge numbers so accurately through the snow and the falling dark. 

But she’d been right.

Two dozen. Jaina could see them now, in the shelter of the valley where the snow wasn’t so bad. But they couldn’t see them. 

And they never had a chance. 

Not when each arrow remained invisible until it met its mark and sparked into a blaze that meant a quick, concise death for each mark. A simple trick, really. Easily pulled off by each Ranger’s accompanying mage. 

The wind howled against Jaina’s face - masking the sound of Ranger and mage alike retreating back through the snow. 

Yet, she lingered. 

Long enough that Sylvanas took notice of her. 

The expression on the General’s face was one Jaina had never seen before. She looked like a statue of herself. Unbothered by a kind of cold that should have been excruciating for her. 

She gave Jaina a simple nod, and moved back through the snow towards her waiting mount. 

Another flash. 

And then a second. 

Move forward. 

Soon, they were in the haven of the valley. Even as frigid as it was, it was still almost warm compared to the ridges they’d been riding along all day. 

“We camp here! I want every unit in tents within the quarter-hour!” 

The voice rang throughout the valley, shielded by stone on each side. No one and nothing would hear them beyond here. 

And Jaina found it strange that she couldn’t tell whether it had been Sylvanas or her mother who had given that order. Their tones were so similar when used for command. 

Even their movements.

Decisive. Sure. Strong.

Jaina knew she would be needed in the command tent, yet that order had been so clear and sharp she nearly followed it, herself - instead of making her way forward with Lirath at her side. 

That tent, in particular, was up within moments. A dozen trained hands working to see that their commanders wouldn’t be kept waiting long. Hands from Theramore and Quel’Thalas, alike. 

Before Jaina knew it, she was surrounding a map table with more than one set of Windrunner eyes and fingertips tracing lines, regarding carefully before anyone even began to speak. 

“Tomorrow.” 

Sylvanas. Jaina’s eyes flashed up to her in response to the singular word. 

“We reach the Wrathgate tomorrow. It’s no more than two hours’ ride from here.” 

Lireesa nodded as Sylvanas pulled a stick of coal from the pouch that was already spread out along the map table. 

“Lord Regent, we need Lady Liadrin’s foot unit here.” She made a mark in front of the gate. A ‘v’ shape pointed directly towards the doorway. “Lady Proudmoore, your foot units will split their ranks.” She made little ticks along the formations as she spoke. “Twenty. Twenty. Twenty. Alternating. With a final five-deep block of eighty along the back, pushing inwards through them as they begin to spread. That’s eight of yours, Jaina, and eight of Liadrin’s.” 

Her eyes adjusted to Liadrin, who had been standing silently watching - committing each tick to memory like it was a song she had heard a hundred times. 

“Very good, General.” 

Sylvanas’s attention shifted to Alleria. “Farstriders and Rangers here.” Sylvanas made a big, sweeping mark in another v-shape all along the outer rim of the valley of Angrathar. “All of them. In echelon formation. I’ll take the right, you take the left. The mage and medic units will be here.”

Her eyes were on Lirath for only a moment before they moved back down to the map as she began marking out locations that would mean all the casters would be protected both in front and behind.

“Jaina, Lirath? You are both still confident in your ability to render this door unusable once we have him?” 

They both answered to the affirmative almost as one, and Sylvanas nodded before placing the coal stick down and gesturing towards the map. “That’s it, then. Everyone brief your troops and turn in.” 

“My Farstriders will take watch tonight,” Alleria said with conviction, and Sylvanas tilted her head questioningly. “The entire night?” 

“We are the most used to little sleep and long rides. We can’t risk any other unit losing even an hour of it.” 

Alleria looked almost wild. All kitted out in white and brown furs with very little of her Farstrider green left showing. She looked ready. 

“Very well.” Sylvanas agreed with a single nod. “Don’t let me forget that they’ve all earned extra leave when we’re home.” 

“Oh, I won’t,” Alleria responded with a faint smirk. One that Sylvanas seemed to return, however faint, before Alleria was gone. 

It was the first time Jaina had seen this family in such a setting. 

She no longer wondered how such a political arrangement could possibly work. 

It was the most seamless, impressive display of leadership she’d ever seen. 

But what came after was a little different. 

She hadn’t been ready for the sight of Lireesa pressing her forehead against her daughter’s before she departed. 

Nor had she been ready for the sight of Liadrin’s hand pressing to the Regent Lord’s lower back, glowing faintly as she murmured something under her breath while they walked away. 

It seemed Sylvanas’s attention had focused on that, as well, and Jaina felt this was a good time to slip out of the tent. 

Sylvanas didn’t stop her. There wasn’t time for any of that. Not right now, anyway. She was more concerned with the fate of two nations’ armies resting on the decisions she was making. 

But she hadn’t lost a single person thus far, and their encounter today had not been there first. 

So perhaps she could spare a few moments after making her final rounds. 

Perhaps she could slip into Jaina’s tent - into the warmth Jaina’s magic could provide her where there could be no fire. 

Just a few moments. 

A few whispered promises and heated, frantic needs to be met in order to push nerves to the back of both of their minds for just a short while. 

And even in the confines of Jaina’s sleeping sack, it was more than enough for both of them.


	19. Promises Kept

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“Form ranks!” Sylvanas’s voice cut sharply across the amassed troops currently flanking either side of the Wrathgate. 

Already, there were gargoyles accosting their army. And already, their enemy was suffering losses, where they were suffering none. 

“Fire!” 

A volley of arrows took out yet another wave of the winged creatures, and Sylvanas led her unit of Rangers to one side even as Alleria seemed to mirror her every motion on the other. 

Soon enough, they had cleared enough room to funnel their foot units in. 

Jaina’s heart was pounding in her chest as she watched both her men and those of Quel’Thalas thunder into the snow-covered clearing. But there was no time to think. 

There was only time to act. Only time to coordinate her spells in a way that would both protect those less magically inclined, and impede the enemies they were fighting.

They were all still fresh when the first abominations made their way towards the ichor-darkened field. 

But they took so many arrows. They looked like walking pincushions without so much as faltering. 

It was inevitable that some of them would fall. 

But ‘some’ became ‘many’ far too quickly. 

Elf and man alike were crushed beneath blows far too powerful for any mortal to withstand. 

“Keep firing!” 

Even from across the field, Jaina could still hear Sylvanas’s orders. And for that, at least, she could be thankful. It meant she was okay. 

“Part!” 

Another voice. So similar. Closer. 

Lireesa. 

“Push forward!”   
They only barely executed the maneuver she was asking for in time for her and her elite guard to ride through. A flash of black and glinting blades and dark-as-night horned Thalassian war mounts that, when combined, even caused confusion in the mindless abominations that seemed, prior to this moment, undefeatable. 

That seemed to never stop coming. 

Lireesa’s presence had another effect. 

Every member of their forces seemed to fight with renewed vigor in response to her order. In response to her joining them in the fight. 

And she was a woman possessed. 

Especially when Liadrin moved to her side - wielding her shield as a weapon as deadly as the curved blades that were dancing in Lireesa’s hands - slashing through thick, undead skin and crushing exposed bone. 

They left a wake of unmoving death decay behind them. 

“Jaina!” 

The mage’s eyes snapped sharply to her left and landed on Lirath only a few feet away. 

There was sweat frozen to his skin. To his brows. Yet, his expression was fierce in a way that was almost wild. “Now!” 

With a suddenness the enemy could never have seen coming, time slowed almost to a stop. 

But not for everyone. 

Jaina held Lirath’s gaze as she bared her teeth with the exertion of the combined spellwork, and for once - the glow in his eyes was matched by her own in the moments before each enemy left standing was frozen in a block of impenetrable ice. 

Both Jaina and Lirath nearly collapsed when they released the threads of the spell. 

It was strangely quiet across the field. Aside from heavy breathing and adjusting of armor and assessing of wounds, there was...nothing. 

Until Lireesa whistled for - placing herself directly in front of Liadrin and her unit. Directly in front of the Gate. 

“Arthas!” 

The sheer force in her tone threatened to shake the monolithic lances of ice hanging from the spires of the gate free of their formations. 

“Hide no longer, coward! Retreater! Remove your tail from between your legs and face your fate! Justice has come to you on this day, and its price is your blood!” 

For a moment, no one even drew breath. 

And then the monolithic teeth behind the gate parted.

Just a crack, at first.

But enough to shake the ground they stood upon. 

Enough that Lireesa’s horse reared for a moment, though she stayed saddled easily until his hooves met the ice once more. 

The slowness with which it continued to open gave them the time they needed to gather and re-form before their quarry finally stepped into the open. 

“And who is it that would deliver such falsities as ‘justice’ to my door?” 

His voice dripped with the power he yet possessed. Echoing and hollowing and chilling the very core of everyone whose ears it fell upon. 

“Quel’Thalas, False King.” Sylvanas spat as she hooked her bow against her back and reached for the sword strapped to her belt. There was as much venom in her voice as there was power in Arthas’s. 

The cut of his helm allowed the sneer this resulted in to show plainly, and Sylvanas bared her fangs in response as Lireesa drew her blades beside her and Liadrin’s units pressed closer - fully guarding their backs. 

“And Theramore.” Jaina stated in a voice like cold steel at the front of the mage-lines behind. 

His sneer faltered, and the deathly glow of his eyes flashed up in Jaina’s direction. Perhaps there was recognition there. 

Perhaps not. 

All that mattered, was that in his moment of distraction - Jaina and Lirath had a job to do. And within seconds, the door Arthas had passed through was rendered inert of its magic. Nothing more than frozen saronite like all the rest of it.

Arthas either didn’t notice, or didn’t care that his only means of escape had been sealed off, because his sneer was back with a vengeance.

“Try to deliver your justice then.” He swung Frostmourne in his hands as they all readied their own weapons. “Perish in it.” With those three words, he drove the tip of the sword into the ice and with a suddenness, none of them could have expected, every block of ice their foes had been frozen in shattered. 

It was a terrible, terrible thing. 

In his presence, their fighting was organized. Their killing - swift and ruthless. They no longer lumbered about targetting the nearest living being. No, they were going after commanders now. Unit captains. Healers. 

The attacks were devastating, but time and again - they were rallied. By orders from Lireesa. From Sylvanas. Even Jaina. 

But their lines were broken. Even the Rangers had been engaged in close-quarters combat, now. 

But though their losses were many, their numbers had been far greater from the start. 

Perhaps sensing the turning of the tide of this battle, Arthas joined in the fray. 

And he only had one target in mind. 

Sylvanas saw him bearing down on her. She saw him cutting through swathes of their troops and his alike. 

Take out the head. 

She had learned that lesson decades ago, and even now it echoed in her ears as he raised his sword against her. 

“Sylvanas!” 

For a moment, everything slowed when Jaina heard panic in Lireesa’s voice for the first time. It was the shrill, anguished cry of a mother who was clearly too far away to stop what was coming. 

Yet, he had underestimated Sylvanas’s ability to maneuver in a close-quarters situation, having only dealt with her in the open fields he had lost his war on Quel’Thalas in. 

And for a moment, she countered him. Despite how each heavy blow against her short sword jarred every bone and muscle in her, each and every slash glanced off the edge of her own blade. 

All the while, Lireesa struggled to reach her. As did Jaina. Even to be able to _see_ her was nearly impossible.

Until the sea of bodies parted at exactly the right moment. 

Or, perhaps, a little too late. 

Jaina watched with her magic still crackling around her fingers as Sylvanas hit the ground hard and began to slide across the ice - followed closely by Arthas, who was already raising Frostmourne for his killing blow. 

Jaina only needed a moment to think. To take in her surroundings. To see that Lireesa was nearly there, and that Liadrin was directly in the way. Until she was lifting her shield above her head and piercing the tip of it into the ice, shouldering into the back of it and angling it just before Lireesa’s boot first hit it. 

Both the Regent Lord’s blades were raised. Her fangs were bared. And she meant to end Arthas’s short-lived besting of her daughter or to die trying. 

But the cry of outrage that rang in Jaina’s ears next wasn’t Lireesa’s. 

No, that cry belonged entirely to Arthas - who found his sword frozen in place, both figuratively and literally. And the frost crackling across the steel didn’t stop there. It spread. 

Into the hilt. Along his arm. 

And no matter how he jerked he couldn’t free himself. He couldn’t break through the magic that was holding him. 

Not before Lireesa made contact - burying both her blades through breaks in his armor spotted by keen eyes while she had still been leaping towards him. 

And then came Liadrin. Abandoning her shield where it was wedged in the ice, and tugging an ax from the nearest corpse she saw with no regard for what or who it had actually been buried in. 

Lireesa heard her coming and released the pommels of her swords to drop to the ground, flattening herself as Liadrin’s ax-swing tore through the air, leaving in its wake a searing, blinding light as it made ease work of plate, flesh, and bone alike. 

As Arthas crumpled to the ground, so did Jaina - although she was, admittedly, in better shape than him. But she didn’t stay down for long. She wouldn’t. Though the remaining Scourge forces were muddling about in confusion at the loss of their commander, they still needed to be dispatched. And Sylvanas was still out there somewhere. 

It didn’t take Jaina long to find her once they were more cleaning up than they were fighting. 

And she realized even more quickly that Sylvanas was, for all intents and purposes, okay. 

Despite the grimace of pain on her face, and the streak of blood where the skin had been scraped from her cheek, she was still sinking arrows into ambling corpses. She was still shouting orders, through the painful hoarseness of her voice. 

Slowly but surely, Jaina realized they all were. 

Lireesa was limping from the battlefield supported by Liadrin's arm around her waist. 

Alleria was making rounds amongst the rangers to take stock. 

Lirath was pulling exhausted mages, unused to this kind of combat, to their feet despite his own exhaustion. 

“A fine fight. I owe your little General a congratulatory drink, I think.” 

Jaina turned and looked up at the voice that had come from behind her, smiling weakly though this only made the chap of her lips worse. “Pained. You’re okay.” 

“Of course, I am. Who else is going to keep Theramore in order while you’re off marrying the hero of the War of the Wrathgate, or whatever the bards are going to call it?” 

“Pained.” Jaina repeated, her voice breaking as she stepped closer on knees that were threatening to buckle in protest. 

Her head felt like it was splitting in two. 

She had long since used any natural reserves of magic around her and taken to depleting herself, instead. And she was utterly and totally depleted. 

Yet her knees didn’t hit the ice when they gave out. 

“I’ve got you.” Pained whispered as she sank down in order to draw Jaina up into her arms. “I’ve got you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Jaina?” 

“Mm..?” 

“You have a visitor.” 

Jaina’s eyes fluttered open and fell on Pained’s face to find her smiling. Tired, but smiling. 

And then her attention slowly drifted to the doorway of the hut she was in. Jaina hadn’t been conscious for it, but Northrend had been kind to them after their battle and placed an abandoned village in their path. 

Every hearth had a fire in it. Every available pot had meat boiling into a thick, hearty stew. 

The Tuskarr who had taken them in were much more suited to camping in the cold climate outside their village and more than grateful enough to give up those comforts and a little of their food stores for a night or two. 

“Sylvanas!” Jaina gasped when she saw the woman standing there looking in at her, her sword arm in a simple sling and her cheek cleanly bandaged. But pain lanced through her head when she tried to force herself up, and Sylvanas frowned softly as she stepped into the warmth of the hut and moved, albeit a little stiffly, to sit on the edge of Jaina’s cot. 

“Don’t move.” She murmured quietly, sounding like her voice had nearly been lost over the past days between the cold and the battle. But she reached out with the hand that wasn’t currently bound against her chest and cradled Jaina’s cheek in her palm. 

Pained slipped away from the tent quietly. She had her own Windrunner to check up on, and she more than trusted, now, that Jaina was in good enough hands. 

“I found you,” Jaina whispered as she turned her face against Sylvanas’s hand and her brow furrowed while she breathed her in as deeply as she could manage. “I just couldn’t get to you. But I knew you were okay.” 

“Jaina…” Sylvanas leaned down then and brushed her lips against the mage’s temple before she rested their foreheads together. “You did everything that you could. You saved my life. You saved my family. And you risked your own in order to do it…” 

“How...how would you have been able to ensure my safety, if you hadn’t made it, yourself?” 

Sylvanas exhaled through her nostrils in response to having her own words used against her. “True enough.” 

“You’re hurt.” Jaina breathed as she carefully touched across Sylvanas’s bandaged cheek and then down along her arm. 

“Ah, the shoulder. I was just trying to see how many times I could dislocate it in one year.” 

“Your face.” Jaina remarked in response. 

Sylvanas feigned a pout as she moved to lay down, taking up the space that Jaina easily adjusted to give her. 

“I was beautiful once.” Sylvanas lamented as Jaina turned carefully on her side to face her. 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jaina chided as she pressed her face beneath Sylvanas’s chin and grasped at the thick cloth of the fur-lined shirt she was wearing, holding it tightly against her slender side. 

“It’ll heal. I promise.” Sylvanas breathed into Jaina’s hair as her fight to keep her eyes open proved to be one fight she wasn’t going to win. 

“It’s alright if it doesn’t. It’ll add a little character to your perfection.” 

Sylvanas laughed, then. A low, quiet sound that never quite left her chest. A sound that Jaina loved. A sound that she needed to hear so badly right then. “Now you have no choice but to marry me...we’ve both survived.” 

Jaina could tell Sylvanas had tried to make that sound like a remark that was made in jest. She could also tell that she wasn’t the only one that needed a little reassurance right then. A little something to look forward to. 

“No, now you have no choice but to marry _me_.” Jaina corrected gently, and she could have sworn the next sound that came from Sylvanas was a purr. 

Or perhaps a snore. 

She didn’t care which. She’d have taken either one. She’d have taken anything. 

But the bone-deep sleep that came immediately after? 

They both needed that more than anything else. 

And everything else could wait. 

They could worry about rounding up enough functioning mages to get them home in the morning. They could worry about the losses they had each suffered and the mourning they had yet to do then, too. 

There just wasn’t any room for any of that right now. 

There wasn’t really even enough room for both of them to sleep on this cot. 

But they made it work. 

They’d made it _all_ work.


	20. Utterly Mad, Utterly Perfect (An Epilogue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who has read this and stuck with me through this extremely alternate universe: <3. 
> 
> I will always appreciate your support, and I will always appreciate all the time you put into reading my work, and into letting me know you've enjoyed it.

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

Jaina sighed heavily as she placed her pen down and lowered her face into her hands, rubbing firmly at her temples to try and do something about the rather persistent pounding in her head. She’d been at these trade approvals all day, and that wasn’t exactly helping either.

But there was a rather high level of demand for Sin’dorei textiles and spices these days, and Theramore was the only place to get any of it in all of Kalimdor. They had more iron, furs, and lumber than they knew what to do with, and the city was bustling. Healthy. Thriving. More of a kingdom now than the city-state it had been, with little homesteads slowly starting to spread out from the protection of its walls. 

They’d even paved their roads. 

So it wasn’t exactly a headache she could complain about. Not really. And the tired smile on her face when she lifted her head back up to look down at the stack of parchments on her desk wasn’t the least bit forced. 

She nearly jumped when she heard an excited shout from the corridor outside her rooms. 

“Sylvanas!” 

Kinndy. 

That had been Kinndy’s over-excited, high-pitched voice followed by her feet pounding against the floor. 

They had become fast friends. And they were, by the sound of it, approaching Jaina’s door. She could still hear Kinndy, even now. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I came to see my wife, if that’s quite alright with you, Lady Sparkshine.” 

“I would’ve thought you came to visit me, if I’m being entirely honest…” 

“We’ll have lunch tomorrow like always, don’t fret.” 

It wasn’t Sylvanas that knocked on Jaina’s door. Sylvanas didn’t normally nock. In fact, she usually just portaled right into Jaina’s bedrooms unless she wanted to make somewhat of an appearance, which she was prone to do now and again. No, that had definitely been a Kinndy knock. 

“Come in!” 

Jaina wasn’t surprised to see Kinndy on Sylvanas’s shoulders. Nor was she surprised at the broad smile on her apprentice’s face as she was helped back down to the floor. Jaina had never in her life seen someone pick Kinndy up, and she could never have imagined Kinndy would appreciate it. 

Yet, Kinndy seemed to very much appreciate being tall now and again, and perhaps Sylvanas enjoyed _feeling_ tall now and again. 

Not that Jaina would ever mention that. Probably. 

“Jaina, your wife is here,” Kinndy announced as Sylvanas dropped to her knee rather dramatically and placed a kiss atop her hand, all while Kinndy grinned rather wickedly. Leave it to Sylvanas to be flexible enough to make that look convincing. 

“I see that,” Jaina said as she stood at her desk, her headache suddenly forgotten and her smile suddenly much, much less tired. 

Kinndy shot Jaina a smile, quickly reminded Sylvanas about their lunch date the next day, and was gone all in a flurry of activity that left Jaina rather amused despite how her heart was pounding. 

Even after all this time. 

There was just something about the way Sylvanas looked at her as she made sure the door was fully shut. Like they hadn’t been married for well over a year now. Like she was seeing Jaina for the first time, all over again. Every time. 

“You’re early,” Jaina said without realizing those words were going to come out a little breathless. 

“Yes, well. Your mother-in-law chased me out of my office and refused to let me do any more catching up before I came.” 

“My mother-in-law?” Jaina asked after snorting rather derisively. 

“Mmh.” Sylvanas made her way across the room, then - producing a flower from the pouch at her belt that Jaina knew was for her. The same flower every time. One that Jaina had seen on their camping trip and asked Sylvanas about. One that she loved. 

That flower was placed in a vase that always stayed on Jaina’s desk. The last flower had only just been stashed away no more than a day or so ago. 

Unless one of them was away, there was almost always a flower in that vase. One that Sylvanas brought her, or one that had been given to her to take back home with her from Silvermoon. 

It just worked. 

It had just...always worked. 

And as Sylvanas rounded her desk and reached to cradle her cheek, Jaina leaned into the feeling of the supple leather glove that covered Sylvanas’s hand before she accepted a kiss that she knew now she would never get used to. 

It was soft and shallow but it lingered along with the ache they felt for one another each time they were apart. 

“I missed you.” Sylvanas whispered against Jaina’s lips before she pressed their foreheads together gently. 

And Jaina knew that was true. 

“And I missed you.” Jaina murmured. 

It was almost better like this, really. They were both so busy. With so much on their plates. 

Each time one of them swept back into the other’s life, it always seemed to be just in time. Just in time to sweep away the worry and the headaches and the tension. 

Finally, though, Sylvanas pulled back with her eyes seeking Jaina’s, and Jaina shook her head as she reached to cradle her wife’s face in her hands. “You get more beautiful every time. I don’t know how you do it. How is she, by the way? My mother-in-law?” 

“Ah, she’s just fine. She sends her love, and a reminder of her inquiry regarding grandchildren.” 

Jaina laughed quietly as she pressed in closer to Sylvanas and reached for her hips, finding the hollows of them just above her belt with her thumbs and pressing in gently. “Tell her I’ve taken her inquiry under consideration.” 

“Mm, she’s been asking for a year.” Sylvanas countered as she slipped around Jaina to plop down in her desk chair, though she pulled the other woman into her lap right after. 

“You are the one that isn’t r-”

“Shhshhshh, don’t ever tell her that.” Sylvanas pressed a fingertip to Jaina’s lips and waited a moment before pulling her hand away. “Besides, I’ve been thinking.” 

“Oh?” Jaina asked with an exaggerated lift of her brow. “That’s so unlike you. What have you done with my wife, spy?” 

Sylvanas was dumbstruck for a moment. Her mouth had physically dropped open. “I...stop it. This is serious. It’s only I’ve been thinking that perhaps we could consider it someday.” 

“This is very concrete. I like it.” Jaina faux-complimented as her arms came to rest over Sylvanas’s shoulders. 

“This is spousal abuse,” Sylvanas whispered with one of the most doleful expressions Jaina had ever seen.

“Is it?” Jaina asked with a frown, leaning down to press a series of soft, apologetic kisses across Sylvanas’s brow, and then down against a scar on her cheek that you really wouldn’t have seen unless you were looking for it. Unless you knew it was there. “What can I do to make it up to you?” 

Sylvanas hummed thoughtfully in her throat as Jaina’s kisses trailed lower - towards her jaw and all the sensitivity she knew was hidden there. “I can think of a few things.” She finally offered as Jaina’s hands slowly shifted down towards her chest. “I’ve been suffering in your absence.” 

“It’s been a week.” Jaina breathed just beneath the lobe of Sylvanas’s ear before she nipped it lightly, knowing it would draw a huff of breath from the other woman.

She smiled when it did exactly that. 

“An eternity,” Sylvanas complained under her breath, though her hands were doing anything but complaining. No, her hands were already parting Jaina’s robes and sliding beneath them to leave blazing trails in the wake of their touch along Jaina’s sides towards her breasts. 

“Your pleasure in exchange for your forgiveness then, General?” 

“A fair offer.” Sylvanas murmured in a low, breathy tone as her hands brushed along the curves of Jaina’s breasts and her thumbs grazed her nipples. It was her turn to earn a gasp, now. To be reminded that Jaina had missed more than just her company. 

“Do you accept, then?” Jaina asked as she pulled back and reached for Sylvanas’s hands to stop them moving, allowing her robes to slip down her shoulders in the same moment. 

It was an attractive...and intentional sight that Sylvanas was treated to. And perhaps that made it all the more attractive. 

“Absolutely.” 

Jaina found herself lifted along with Sylvanas as she stood, and Sylvanas made short work of getting her through the door that led to her bedroom. And even shorter work of what was left of her robes. 

After that, however, she seemed in no rush. She took her time leaving a trail of kisses down the side of Jaina’s neck. Over the little scars her fangs had finally left where her neck met her shoulder. Tiny, scarcely visible marks that Jaina often found her eyes drawn to nonetheless when she looked in the mirror. Scars that meant to Sylvanas what the ring the General wore on her finger meant to Jaina. They belonged to each other. Visibly. Proudly. 

No matter how far apart they were from each other. No matter how strange their union might seem to some. 

There was nothing strange about this to them.

Nothing strange about the familiar way Sylvanas’s hands parted Jaina’s thighs and kneaded them to coax them further until Jaina was drawing them up to give Sylvanas what room she needed to settle between her legs and press her face against the softness of her lower abdomen. 

Sylvanas might have thought of something poetic to say. Something romantic and beautiful. Something about the curves of Jaina’s body and the silk of her skin, if her mouth wasn’t busy working its way further down. If her teeth weren’t busy leaving behind just the amount of sting she had come to learn Jaina liked best. 

Jaina didn’t need those words right now, anyway. She needed the deft, experienced tongue that was finding and working against her clit languidly. She needed the satin of Sylvanas’s hair slipping through her fingers and, eventually, going taut as she tugged at it and a muffled sound of appreciation caught in her throat. 

“Syl…” Jaina gasped a name she really only used at times like this. When the rest of it was just too much. When Sylvanas was pressing the length of two of her fingers into her slowly - matching the movements of her lips and her tongue and somehow pushing Jaina into a dizzying spiral of pleasure despite, or perhaps because of the seeming lack of effort behind her movements. 

Because really, Sylvanas didn’t have to try. 

She knew every inch of Jaina’s skin. Every movement that left her breathless. 

And Jaina was spilling over the edge and rocking her hips against that talented mouth before too long. More than once, actually, before Sylvanas finally moved back up, and Jaina only just managed to catch her face with the edge of her sheets to avoid a rather messy kiss. 

A kiss she’d both avoided, and not managed to avoid many times. One that always made her laugh. A little breathy, sated laugh that Sylvanas adored and sought out whenever possible. 

Until Jaina caught her off-guard and had a knee pressed between her legs then managed to turn her onto her back before she could recover. 

Jaina liked those sounds, too. She liked watching the way Sylvanas’s muscles tensed and jumped beneath the gold of her skin, where the sun of Quel’Thalas seemed to linger even here in Theramore. 

Then, they just laid there together. Wrapped in each other. Half-gone and the best kind of exhausted. 

“Next year,” Sylvanas whispered as Jaina trailed her fingertips lazily across her bare shoulders. 

“Next year, what?” Jaina breathed, her lips brushing against Sylvanas’s arm as she spoke. 

“You know. I just think...I think next year would be a good time to start thinking about the future half-elf leader of Theramore. I’d like to retire with you someday, after all.” 

Jaina’s lips quirked just a bit as Sylvanas looked at her from where her head was pressed into the pillow. 

“Are you going to tell your mother?” Jaina asked, and the smile on her face was all happiness. Maybe a little surprise. 

“I’ll let you tell her,” Sylvanas responded before reaching up to stroke some of Jaina’s hair away from her eyes. “You’re her favorite, anyway.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lireesa, you’ve been smiling all day. It’s beautiful, believe me. But…”

Lireesa laughed quietly as Liadrin found a particularly wonderful place in her back to knead with her skilled hands. 

“Tell me, darling, are you still insisting upon my retirement?” Lireesa asked as she eyed Liadrin from the corner of her eye. 

“You should have retired already as it is, so yes,” Liadrin responded with a rather daring lift of her eyebrow. “Not that I’m particularly thrilled to stand in your stead…” 

“A leader who is excited to lead has every chance of also being far too drunk on the power,” Lireesa mumbled as her eyelids fluttered shut when Liadrin reached her lower back. 

“I know,” Liadrin said as she leaned in to kiss the nape of Lireesa’s neck. Her skin was still a little damp from the long soak she’d just had, and her damp hair was still pulled up - giving Liadrin easy access for another kiss right after. 

This had always been the plan. This had always been the goal. Get their people through the war. Give them a family they could trust. And Liadrin was part of that family. From Matriarch to Regent Lord. Less of a jump, perhaps, than Lireesa’s had been, considering how much experience Liadrin had with the politics of Silvermoon and all its inner workings. 

“A grandmother and Regent Lord all in the same year.” Lireesa mused. “Quite the promotion, Lady Knight.” 

Liadrin’s hands went still on Lireesa’s back, and Lireesa chuckled before Liadrin even had a chance to speak. 

“A grandmother?” Liadrin asked with a slight tilt of her head. 

Lireesa murmured something unintelligible. Perhaps just a sound of amusement, as she turned onto her back beneath Liadrin and nodded faintly. 

“A grandmother,” Lireesa whispered, and Liadrin swallowed thickly against the rather unfamiliar feeling that had found its way into her throat. 

“Who?” 

“Oh, Sylvanas and Jaina, of course.” 

Liadrin let out a breathy sound. Perhaps a laugh. Perhaps something a little more emotional. Something she wasn’t all that used to expressing, and likely hadn’t been expecting. 

“I’m so happy for you,” Liadrin whispered as Lireesa sat up and finally let the cool calm she usually exuded slip from her exterior by way of arms wrapped tightly around Liadrin and her face pressed hair against the younger woman’s chest. 

Lireesa could only nod. And weakly, at that. 

“The kids are going to be so good,” Liadrin whispered a bit breathlessly as she cradled the back of Lireesa’s head. “Lirath is…” 

“Going to be the best uncle. I know he is. I just know he is.” Lireesa finished for her, and Liadrin nodded her agreement without hesitation. “And you are going to be so good. Don’t think for a moment that child isn’t going to have you wrapped around its little finger the moment you first set eyes.” 

Liadrin was quiet for a while. She mulled those words over until she could wrap her mind around them. She almost hated how right Lireesa was. 

“We need to keep it away from Valeera.” Liadrin finally managed amidst tears and laughter that they were both soon sharing. “She’ll keep so much candy in that belt pouch of hers no one will ever get any sleep, and she’ll find it endlessly amusing.” 

“Hey.” 

Liadrin looked up and exhaled at the sight of Valeera standing in the doorway of their bathroom drying her hair, and only laughed harder about the fact that one of her ears was slightly off-kilter. 

“I’ll only give it candy sometimes.” 

“Oh?” Lireesa asked with a little smirk as she laid back down and leveled a gaze in Valeera’s direction. “And what is your definition of sometimes?” 

“Probably not the same as yours,” Valeera responded with a shrug as she began tugging on her breeches. “Now I need to get back to the Village before Alleria comes in here with some news that she’s somehow carrying that Night Elf’s child. You know. The one she insists she isn’t seriously involved with.” 

“Pained.” Lireesa offered, looking altogether too amused with Valeera’s wisecracks. 

“Don’t encourage her.” Liadrin chided as she lowered herself onto the bed next to Lireesa. 

“I’ll do as I please.” Lireesa countered in a lazy drawl, and Liadrin only just caught Valeera’s responding grin and the wink that followed before she slipped from the bedroom. 

“You’re all going to be the death of me.” Liadrin murmured as she crossed her arms behind her head, not at all minding the way Lireesa looked at her - clearly appreciating the view she currently had. 

“I certainly hope not. You give wonderful massages.” 

“Oh?” Liadrin asked as she turned her head, her expression softening in response to the look on Lireesa’s face. One of utter adoration. And no small amount of excitement - no doubt over the fact that there would soon be a tiny Windrunner wreaking havoc in their rooms just in time for her retirement. 

“I’ll stick around, then.” Liadrin offered. “I don’t trust anyone else to rub your shoulders properly.” 

“Nor do I,” Lireesa whispered, already half-gone with sleep. 

But not gone enough to miss Liadrin pulling the sheets over them and reaching for her hand. 

Not gone enough to not realize just how utterly mad all of this was. 

How utterly perfect.


	21. Child of the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to do this. 
> 
> You can thank Redisaid. It's 110% her fault that I stole her magic baby ritual.  
99% minimum.

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/161614435@N03/48525658192/in/dateposted-public/)

“Okay,” Jaina said evenly as she looked at the small, untouched breakfast on the table between them that they were supposed to be sharing. “Okay. So I guess all that's left to discuss is the...well. The...ehm. Sperm.”

Sylvanas made an audible retching noise across from her, and Jaina’s brows furrowed in obvious agitation as her wife gagged. More than once. 

“Sp-?! Sp…” another choking sound. 

Jaina was ready to leave their impromptu negotiation. “Sylvanas? Please tell me you know where babies come from.”

Jaina’s tone was such a clear mixture of gravity and disappointment that Sylvanas’s choking turned into poorly subdued laughter. 

“Belore, Jaina. This is too much.” She wheezed as she wiped at her eyes, both her ears and hair slightly askew. “I'd nearly forgotten your people have to involve that vile substance in your procreation.” 

“Yours...don't? How, exactly, were you conceived?”

“Don't make me go over the semantics, Jaina. I much prefer _not_ having to consider the sex life of my mother and my late father. Anyway, I don't suppose anyone outside of our kind would have any reason to know about the ritual.”

“If that didn't sound foreboding, I don't know what would,” Jaina responded dryly followed by a heavy sigh. “When you're ready to take this conversation seriously-”

“Aranal'dorei.” The word rolled from Sylvanas’s tongue as easily and beautifully as her language always did, and it caused Jaina to fall silent. “There is no reason to involve anyone aside from the two of us, Jaina, unless you truly want to.” 

“I...of course, if that were an option that's...is it? An option?” Her brow was furrowed. Her eyes were narrowed. And her heart was hammering away in her chest.

“Yes.” Sylvanas responded simply, tapping her fingers lightly against the small, leather-bound book Jaina has seen her with over the past few days. She passed it across the table to her wife with a certain measure of gravity and Jaina opened it the moment she had it in her hands.

She could read the words of Sylvanas's home easily now. Almost as easily as she could read her own. And she turned the pages rapidly as she glanced over what was clearly very old text on very old paper despite how well-preserved the book was. 

“This is real,” Jaina whispered breathlessly. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears the next time she looked up at Sylvanas. “Sylvanas, this is real.”

“I'm aware,” Sylvanas responded with a gentle chuckle before she finally stood and moved around the table. She leaned down as she cradled Jaina’s face in her hand to draw her into a soft, familiar kiss before she bumped their foreheads together. “And I am ready if you are.” 

“Are you sure?” Jaina asked softly against Sylvanas’s lips.

Sylvanas smiled as she brushed Jaina’s tears away from her cheeks with her thumbs. “Yes. Finally.” 

Jaina swallowed thickly and wrapped her hands tightly around Sylvanas’s wrists. Sylvanas, who slowly moved to kneel in front of her to look up into her eyes. Sylvanas, who had slowly but surely shown Jaina that everything she once dreamt of had never been taken from her. She’d just had to wait a little longer than she thought. 

“I want to have a family with you, Jaina,” Sylvanas whispered. “And I think I think the only thing I'm not ready for is how beautiful you are going to be.” 

Jaina laughed breathlessly as she placed the book down to tangle her fingers in her wife’s hair. It was all she could do to kiss her again while she gathered her thoughts. “Who said I was going to carry the baby?”

Sylvanas’s ears shot back so quickly that Jaina almost felt bad.

Almost.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How is my favorite daughter?” Lireesa asked with a sly smile as she spotted Jaina lounging on a chaise she'd claimed as her own long ago in the General’s suite of Silvermoon City.

“She is fine.” Jaina responded warmly as she placed her book aside and moved to sit up so as to not be rude. 

“Rest,” Lireesa said quickly with a lift of her hand. “I insist. I've had four, and I know the feeling.” 

“I'm not that pregnant-”

“Five months is quite pregnant enough.” Lireesa chuckled along with her response. “Where is your doting wife?”

Lireesa was close enough now that she could sit on the edge of the chaise with the little bundle she was carrying resting between them.

Jaina still hadn't gotten over the initial awe that came over her when Lireesa walked into a room. Even now, years later. There was just something overwhelming about her. She seemed as wise as any Ancient yet there was so much strangely youthful beauty about her. 

And the years had begun to take the fel green from her eyes. Eyes that Jaina had come to realize were made of the same soft steel that Sylvanas’s were slowly mellowing into. 

“Hunting.” Jaina responded with a wry smile on her face.

“She's gone feral.” Lireesa lamented quietly. “Quel’Thalas will be in a state of emergency regarding its wild game by the time you have this child.” 

“I wasn't expecting it, to say the least,” Jaina said with a smile still playing on her lips. “But she has been wonderful.” 

“I would expect no less.” Lireesa said quietly as she reached out a hand to untie the bundle she'd brought along with her. It contained many of Jaina’s favorite snacks. Ones that all the hunting in the world wouldn't provide her with. Little floral cakes. Perfectly constructed tarts. Even a few packets of medicine Jaina wasn't familiar with.

Following the track of Jaina’s gaze, Lireesa gestured to them. “From Liadrin. For your aches and your sickness. She is as talented with medicine as she is with a blade when she deigns it necessary.”

“Send my thanks. Truly. I now know what it is to suffer.” 

Lireesa got a hearty chuckle out of that, and it was a moment or two before her expression sobered and she reached out for Jaina's hand to cover it with her own.

“In seriousness, Jaina...you are the daughter of my heart, and you are carrying the blood of my blood. Please tell me. How are you doing, truly? I worry. You are so young…”

“I'm the best possible age for my kind to be having a child,” Jaina reassured quietly, and Lireesa nodded her understanding even as her ears shifted in a way that Jaina recognized as worry.

“But you don't share the lifespan of your kind,” Lireesa replied softly. “You carry too much power within you.”

“True enough.” Jaina murmured. “But have no regrets. There's no amount of sickness or discomfort that would be too much. I haven't ever felt this feeling. And I've always wanted to. Ever since I was far too young to be thinking such things. I just...never could have seen her coming. Sylvanas, I mean. I never could have imagined it would be like this.” 

Lireesa’s ears relaxed and her expression softened even further as she finally sighed her relief. “Forgive me. It has long been a dream of mine that this might become a reality. I'm elated, Jaina. And I hope you know that I would do anything for you. As would my daughter.”

As if by some design of fate, the door opened again and the sound caught Lireesa’s attention.

Both women’s eyes landed on Sylvanas, who had a string of two hares on her belt - already dressed for cooking - with her ears lop-sided and a look of concern on her face.

“Jaina?” She asked from the doorway - sounding as nervous as she looked. “Is everything alright?”

“Ah, speak of the devil.” Lireesa smiled and reached out to cradle the back of Jaina’s head in order to touch their foreheads together just before she stood and made her way over to her daughter. “She's fine, Sylvanas.” 

“Okay. I just...okay. Thank you for stopping by.” 

Lireesa was inspecting her, and it was quite amusing for Jaina to watch. Perhaps that's why she was doing it.

Sylvanas’s gaze followed as her mother lifted the hares at her belt and seemed to size them up. “Hm, another successful hunt, I see.”

“Yes, mother.” Sylvanas’s response was so serious Jaina nearly laughed. 

“Come see me this evening.” Lireesa continued as she dropped the weight of the hares back against Sylvanas’s belt and offered her a little smile. “And don't forget about dinner tomorrow. And before you ask, we have plenty of meat for dinner. Don't show up with a stag over your shoulder.” 

Sylvanas gave her mother an irritable sigh and a look that made Lireesa's smile widen, and then she was gone. 

“Sylvanas, come here,” Jaina ordered quietly from the chaise as she sat up and moved to the edge of it. It was still so endearing to her the way Sylvanas rushed to her whenever she asked.

The carcasses still dangling from her belt, however, were not - and Sylvanas realized the error of her ways quickly when Jaina’s face went a little pale at the sight. 

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll just-!” She was already rushing away to the kitchen so quickly that Jaina hadn't heard the rest of her response...and returning with a cool glass of water just as fast.

“How are you?” Sylvanas asked as she moved to kneel in front of Jaina. “How is the baby?”

“We’re both fine,” Jaina responded quietly, reaching out on instinct to reach into the hood of Sylvana’s cloak in order to stroke the soft hair at the nape of her neck. “We missed you.” 

“And I, the both of you.” 

The first kiss was, as always, for Jaina. Soft and sweet and warm and still tasting of the sun she’d been bathed in. 

The second, as always, was for the swell of her stomach. Followed by softly murmured Thalassian. 

“Sinu a’manore, dalah’surfal. Doral ana’diel?” 

“Do you expect her to answer you?” Jaina asked with a soft smile on her lips as she stroked behind Sylvanas’s ear with the side of her thumb. 

“One day.” Sylvanas responded softly, slipping easily back into Common as she knelt up higher and lifted Jaina right along with her as she stood. Jaina wrapped her arms around Sylvanas’s shoulders and allowed herself to be carried towards the bedroom. She would never understand how Sylvanas was as strong as she was. 

“You won’t be able to carry me much longer, you know,” Jaina warned as Sylvanas nudged their bedroom door open and made her way towards the bed. 

“Lies,” Sylvanas responded, flashing her fangs when she grinned and leaned over the bed still supporting Jaina by her back with only one hand on the mattress. 

“Show-off.” Jaina accused as she pushed at her wife’s chest until she finally plopped down onto the bed. “Make my dinner.” 

Sylvanas’s smile didn’t even fade as she stood immediately to do just that, and Jaina scoffed audibly as she reached out and caught the other woman’s arm. “Hey.” 

“Mm?” One of Sylvanas’s ears lifted faintly as she glanced back at Jaina.

“I wasn’t being serious. I just want you to lay with me for a while. You’ve been gone all day.” 

“Oh.” Sylvanas slipped her arm from Jaina’s grip and caught the other woman’s hand in her own instead. “I thought you were just being pregnant.” 

“Sylvanas...please.” 

“I’ll lay with you for as long as you want,” Sylvanas responded simply, kicking off her boots and unlatching her cloak to allow both to fall to the floor. 

It was amazing how they still fit together. How Sylvanas still curled against her just so as they lay there facing each other in a way that made Jaina feel she hadn’t changed at all, even though she had. 

“Forever is too long. Your mother wanted to see you tonight.” Jaina responded in a quiet murmur as Sylvanas stroked along her side. “I’ll take an hour.” 

“An hour, and then dinner?” Sylvanas asked, stealing a kiss before Jaina had an answer. 

“Perfect.” Jaina whispered, chasing after another kiss only to find Sylvanas’s hand pressed gently against her stomach. 

“Slow down,” Sylvanas whispered as her hand moved to Jaina’s hip and her thumb traced languidly along the line of it.

Jaina huffed quietly as she met Sylvanas’s gaze, and Sylvanas frowned in confusion, pressing an apologetic kiss to the corner of Jaina’s mouth and murmuring against it. “What’s wrong, Jaina?” 

“Nothing.” Jaina lied quietly, realizing now that she’d been clutching the front of Sylvanas’s jerkin. She loosened her grip slowly and sighed as she pressed her face against her wife’s chest. “Don’t stop.” 

Sylvanas swallowed thickly as she allowed her thumb to trail lower - down the laces that were holding Jaina’s soft breeches around her hips. The touch earned her a soft gasp from Jaina’s lips. 

It was another few moments before those laces were finally undone and Sylvanas was pressing her onto her back gently to lower herself between her legs as she guided the breeches slowly down Jaina’s legs. 

For a while, the feeling of Sylvanas’s lips grazing along her inner thighs was heaven. Until it wasn’t. 

Until Jaina was looking across the room with one of her hands loosely tangled in Sylvanas’s hair. 

Sylvanas noticed, of course. Rather quickly. “Jaina?” 

“I’m fine,” Jaina said quickly, turning her attention to Sylvanas. 

“Why are you lying to me?” Sylvanas asked, trying and failing to hide the tinge of hurt in her voice. 

“I don’t know, why have you been treating me like I’m made of glass for months?” Jaina asked - though there wasn’t any venom in her voice. No anger. Frustration, maybe. But it had been a real, genuine question. 

One that made Sylvanas sit up slowly with one of her hands on Jaina’s thigh. 

“Because I have to be careful,” Sylvanas responded, sounding about as lost as she looked. 

“Why?” Jaina asked as she pushed herself up and reached out to hook her fingers in the collar of Sylvanas’s shirt. “Sylvanas, you’ve been around long enough not to believe in old wive’s tales. I’m not...I’m not saying what you do for me isn’t good. I’m just saying I miss how we were. I don’t like feeling like you’re holding anything back from me.” 

“You’re bored,” Sylvanas observed quietly, and Jaina frowned as she tucked some of Sylvanas’s hair behind her ear. 

“Not with you.” She reassured softly. “Just with this. Please don’t...I don’t want to hurt you. That’s the last thing I want.” 

“I’m not hurt,” Sylvanas responded quickly, reaching for Jaina’s hand to give it a tight squeeze. “I’m just sorry. You’re right. I know better than this. I don’t know. I’ve never done this before, Jaina. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never not known what I’m doing before.” 

“You didn’t know what you were doing when you fell in love with me either, remember?” Jaina asked with a faint smile as she traced along Sylvanas’s ear with the backs of her knuckles. “And you did it so well.” 

Sylvanas exhaled softly and turned her head so she could press a kiss into the center of Jaina’s palm. 

“I swear some days when you walk in with a dead animal on your belt and put your quiver down by the door I can barely contain myself. It’s embarrassingly primal. And then you turn into a kitten when I get you into the bed.” 

Sylvanas’s eyes shifted to meet Jaina’s as Jaina’s thumb passed over her lips. “But I know that you aren’t, and it drives me crazy. It drives me crazy knowing what you’re capable of. How much you’re keeping from me.”

Jaina’s hand was still close enough to Sylvanas’s lips for her to feel the way her wife’s next breath shuddered on its way out. 

“I would tell you if it was too much. Wouldn’t I?”

“You’ve never told me it was too much,” Sylvanas whispered before kissing the pad of Jaina’s thumb as it moved back to her lips. 

“What does that tell you, then?” Jaina asked - her voice low and slightly husky. Coaxing. Yet still understanding. 

“Jaina, if you think I haven’t wanted-”

“It’s yours, Sylvanas.” Jaina murmured as Sylvanas shifted closer to her. “Please take it.” 

Within moments, Jaina found herself pulled into Sylvanas’s lap and into a kiss that held all of the fire Sylvanas had been dampening needlessly. All the fire that Jaina had been missing so terribly. 

It’d been so long since she’d felt the sting of fangs against her lower lip. So long since Sylvanas’s hands had been so rough against her skin. 

Too long. 

But as Jaina found herself pinned between Sylvanas and the headboard of their bed - as she tossed Sylvanas’s jerkin aside to leave marks in her sides with her nails - she knew, unequivocally, that it had been a wait that was worth it. If more than a little unnecessary. 

“The drawer.” Jaina gasped as Sylvanas broke from their kiss to leave a trail of marks down the side of her neck. 

A trail of marks that ended on the faded scar Sylvanas had left years ago. A mark that she sucked over to darken with a bruise as Jaina whimpered and tugged at her hair to keep her close. 

“Belore, Jaina.” Sylvanas gasped against that mark as she kneaded one of her wife’s breasts in her hand and dragged the nail of her thumb over a hardened, sensitive nipple. “Tell me what you want out of the drawer.” 

“I want...fuck...Sylvanas…” 

Sylvanas drew Jaina up with a suddenness she hadn’t been expecting. With a grip against the back of her neck and a fierceness in her eyes. 

“Say it,” Sylvanas whispered as she pressed a knee between Jaina’s legs after shifting so she was straddling one of her wife’s thighs. Her eyes flickered down and back up again quickly. 

“Tell me what you’re so wet for.” There was a distinct edge to Sylvanas’s tone. Something about the way her ears were pressed back and the brightening of her eyes had Jaina utterly breathless. 

“You know what I’m wet for,” Jaina responded as she stroked down Sylvanas’s chest and over her stomach just to feel the way the muscles there flexed beneath her fingertips in response to her touch. 

Sylvanas pressed a little harder with her knee as she leaned in and traced her lips along Jaina’s cheek to get to her ear. “Say it for me.” She whispered. “I’ve missed this, too.” 

“Sylvanas I need you to get the harness out of the drawer,” Jaina whispered breathlessly, digging her nails into her wife’s lower back so hard Sylvanas nearly hissed. 

Instead, she grazed the lobe of Jaina’s ear with her teeth as a reward. “And then?” 

“Gods, I just want you inside me.” Jaina whimpered as she pressed down desperately against Sylvanas’s knee. 

In an instant, Sylvanas released her from a grip that so expertly bordered on painful, yet rode the line as perfectly as it always had. 

Because they weren’t who they were when Jaina was new to all this. 

They hadn’t been for a long time. 

That much was clear as Jaina moved to lay down on the bed so she could watch Sylvanas slide their favorite harness up her thighs. It was still buckled to fit the width of her slender, toned hips with a quick tightening that Sylvanas managed on her way back onto the bed. 

Then Jaina was being tugged down beneath her. She was feeling the hard length of the toy against her thigh. 

And Sylvanas had three fingers in her and her mouth on her chest before any of that could even really register. 

Jaina was shuddering. Moaning. Dripping wetly against Sylvanas’s hand as her heels dug into the bed while Sylvanas stretched her. 

She had never been more thankful for just how lithe and responsive Sylvanas was than she was right now. The way she curved her body over her own perfectly as she began teasing against her with the tip of the toy was just everything. Just exquisite. 

And when the full length of it was finally where Jaina needed it to be, and Sylvanas’s head fell against her shoulder, well. There weren’t really words to describe that feeling. 

All she could do was run her trembling hands across the tensed muscles in Sylvanas’s back as she held some of her weight on her forearms on either side of her. 

Without much hesitation, Sylvanas’s hips rocked back and then forward again. 

Sylvanas shuddered, and Jaina felt it in every fiber of her being as she turned her head to deliver her best attempt at a kiss against the nearest delicate, flushed ear. 

“You have no idea how good you feel,” Jaina whispered as one of Sylvanas’s arms moved beneath Jaina’s lower back to support it. To make her comfortable in a way only Sylvanas would know that she needed. 

Her thrusts thereafter weren’t frantic or unhinged. But they were firm and deep and set them rocking against each other in a way that had Jaina moaning against Sylvanas’s ear more often, even, than she could manage to breathe. 

And to hear her moans echoed back to her from Sylvanas only made things come to an even quicker high than Jaina wanted. 

“You’re going to make me come.” Jaina managed as her back arched and her thighs quaked. 

“That’s what I want.” Sylvanas husked against Jaina’s shoulder, parting from it with a kiss so she could lift her head and look down into the stormy, breathtaking blue of Jaina’s eyes. “You’re so beautiful when you come for me.” 

Jaina’s hands fell to the sheets as Sylvanas re-angled her hips and dug her knees into the bed. Her arms were trembling as Jaina held onto them. Her breaths were coming in shallow, rapid pants. And there was so much adoration and desire in her eyes, Jaina couldn’t have stopped her fast-approaching orgasm if she’d tried. 

She didn’t of course. Who was she to deny Sylvanas? To deny herself? 

As if she had any control over the next few earth-shattering, sight-stealing moments of her life. 

As if she had any control over the way Sylvanas’s name tore from her throat followed quickly by a string of curses. 

She was so far gone she couldn’t even decipher the Thalassian as it fumbled from her wife’s kiss-swollen lips while her hips shifted in jerking motions that were nothing like those of moments prior. 

And then Sylvanas was leaning into her. And there was a whimper being buried in the crook of Jaina’s neck. 

Jaina clamped her legs around Sylvanas’s lower back desperately as she hooked her own arms beneath her wife’s. 

“Did you just come?” Jaina asked - her voice cracking past the dryness in her throat. 

“Fuck.” Sylvanas panted as another shudder wracked her body. “Fuck. Yes. Fuck.” 

That had never happened before. But it sure as hell just did. 

She’d been so close that even the friction and pressure of the base of the toy had been more than enough mingled with the wave of pleasure Jaina had ridden beneath her. 

Jaina felt her entire body flush anew in response to that knowledge. 

Weakly, they managed to roll together onto their sides. After that, it was all trembling, gentle touches and Sylvanas’s soft concern and endless compliments. Sometimes in Common, sometimes not. 

And it was all unforgettable. Each murmur and each touch something that would be seared into their memories and into their skin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaina was smiling in an uncontrollable, yet subdued manner as Sylvanas stared down at her plate under the scrutiny of Lireesa’s gaze.

Dinner hadn’t even been served yet and something was already getting grilled. 

“Sylvanas? You haven’t answered me. I asked you to come see me yesterday evening. I even waited up for you. What kept you?” 

Sylvanas cleared her throat and glanced in Jaina’s direction. 

Jaina, whose head was tilted in feigned innocence. 

Whose neck was still lightly marked in a place that wasn’t overly prominent, but still noticeable to someone as keen-eyed as Lireesa. 

“I was...the rabbits were uhm...”

“Mother, please.” Alleria drawled from the other end of the table. “We all know what Sylvanas was busy with last night. Can we eat?” 

Lireesa pretended she wasn’t going to relent just long enough for it to be believable before her expression softened and she laughed quietly. “Yes. We can eat.” 

“How was your hunt, by the way?” Alleria queried as Liadrin served them with one of her brows still lifted in amusement. 

“You...you hunted this?” Jaina demanded in disbelief as a lovely little stack of venison medallions were placed on her plate. She’d been served first. It had been this way ever since she came to stay in Silvermoon for the duration of her pregnancy. 

“Of course,” Lireesa responded matter-of-factly. “When one's mate doesn’t make the kill, a trusted family member will do.” 

Jaina still looked confused. Lireesa’s attention shifted to Sylvanas. “You haven’t told her why all you do these days is hunt?”

“...No?” 

Lireesa sighed and glanced in Liadrin’s direction for affirmation that her daughter was as hopeless as she thought. 

Liadrin also sighed before she began explaining. 

“In our culture, when one is expecting, it isn’t acceptable for anyone other than one’s mate or family to provide. It’s...a holdover, I guess you could say. An antiquity that we hold onto. You see, it’s meaningful to take a life for another life. It’s even more meaningful when that life is new and growing. It’s only right that someone close should be the one to do it.” 

Jaina stared at Liadrin for a moment before her attention slowly shifted to Sylvanas, who was glancing in her direction as her own plate was finally filled. 

“That’s...that explains a lot.” Jaina finally managed, though she was squeezing Sylvanas’s thigh tightly beneath the table and trying not to let the sudden flood of emotion she was experiencing show on her face. “Thank you, then, Lireesa. Dinner looks lovely. I hope the hunt wasn’t long.” 

“It was enjoyable,” Lireesa responded with a smile that came as easily as her words had. “It’s good to have a reason.” 

Liadrin didn’t say anything in response. Nor did any of the other siblings sitting around the table. 

But they were all smiling. They were all grateful for the change they’d seen in their mother. For the life and excitement that had been breathed into her. 

And it showed throughout the dinner. Lireesa never missed a beat. Even all four children at once couldn’t best her quick wit and her sharp tongue. And no one was as amused or as content as Liadrin, always smiling softly at her wife’s side. Occasionally adding an amused noise or a cutting remark that always resulted in a chorus of laughter and one singular pained noise from whoever had been the object of her attention. 

Jaina had never been this happy. 

Jaina had never felt more at home. 

This was her family. And it was so perfect that it almost overwhelmed her to be in the same room with all of them. In the very best way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sylvanas had been leaning over the back of the bed pressing kisses and barely intelligible words of encouragement against Jaina’s temple for a long time, now.

So long that her back had begun to ache around the second or third set of tears that had dried in streaks down her face, all while Lireesa watched from the doorway. She’d told her daughter that the first birth was never easy. 

That it could take hours. 

But none of that mattered now that she was faced with the harsh reality of what Jaina was going through. 

But this contraction finally passed just like the last, and one of the midwives tending to Jaina offered them both a sympathetic smile as she stood from the chair at the foot of the bed. 

“How long?” Sylvanas demanded urgently as she lifted her head and Jaina’s vice-like grip on both her hands finally loosened. 

The woman shook her head faintly. “She’s getting closer, Ranger-General. But it will be a while yet.” 

“Then _do_ something,” Sylvanas demanded as she stood, drawing every ounce of authority she possessed into her voice. Jaina only reached for her to give her shirt a weak tug as the unbothered woman wiped at the sweat on her brow with a cool, damp cloth. 

“Sylvanas...don’t…” 

Sylvanas’s attention shifted immediately to Jaina, and then to her mother as she walked across the room and reached to grip her daughter’s shoulder firmly. 

“I’ll walk with you to get Jaina some water,” Lireesa said quietly - but the look in her eyes was deafening. 

“She’ll be fine.” The attending woman who had been spoken to rather harshly more than once that day offered Sylvanas a soft, reassuring smile. “You have my word.” 

But Sylvanas wouldn’t move unless-

“I’m thirsty.” Jaina breathed as her body finally began to relax into the bed. 

“Okay,” Sylvanas whispered, pressing a hand against Jaina’s face and leaning back over the bed to kiss her forehead before she slipped out of the room with her mother, who handed her the empty pitcher from the room before falling into step just behind her. 

To Sylvanas’s credit, she managed to make it all the way down the hall and around the corner before she stopped and turned to face the wall. Before she placed the pitcher down on the floor and pulled a cloth from her belt to wipe the sweat and the tears from her own face. 

Before the first muffled sob finally betrayed her. 

“Oh, darling girl…” Lireesa murmured as she stepped closer and pulled her daughter into her arms. 

And Sylvanas just cried. Bitter, wracking sobs that sounded almost angry as they left her. 

“I know,” Lireesa whispered as she stroked over her daughter’s hair to get it out of her face. “I know, darling. Breathe. Breathe, it’s okay.” 

Sylvanas didn’t have much energy left for crying, as it turned out. She went quiet in Lireesa’s arms a few moments later. It was then that Lireesa cradled her face and lifted it carefully. 

“Look at me, Sylvanas Windrunner.” 

Sylvanas did. And she looked as agonized as she’d sounded. 

“When she holds that child, Sylvanas, she’ll forget everything else. It will all be worth it. Every second. I remember the first time I held you like it was yesterday. Oh, and you were worth it.” 

Lireesa smoothed one of Sylvanas’s slightly kinked brows with her thumb. Sylvanas couldn’t remember the last time her mother looked so earnest. It was hard to ignore. Impossible, really. 

“And now look what you’ve done. What you’re doing together. Bringing life into this world. And you are so good to her. You love her more than I’ve ever seen another person love in all my years. She’s going to be okay, Sylvanas. I promise you with everything in me.” 

“Okay,” Sylvanas whispered quietly, and Lireesa caught a last, lingering tear as it fell. 

“Keep being strong for her right now. Like you have been. Yes? Bring her that glass of water and let her leave more those bruises around her hands. They’ll fade. All the things that aren’t important will fade, Sylvanas.” 

“Okay,” Sylvanas repeated, sounding a little more sure this time. 

She finally managed to retrieve the pitcher so she could fill it. 

“And stop yelling at the midwives,” Lireesa said as she retreated further down the hall to give her daughter a moment alone. “They were expensive.” 

Sylvanas returned in a much better state with Jaina’s water, and she felt like she could finally breathe when she walked into the sight of Jaina sitting up in bed. Looking exhausted. Looking so beautiful it hurt. 

She smiled the moment her eyes landed on the sight of her wife in her wrinkled, loose-fitting shirt - only half-tucked into her breeches. She looked almost as much a mess as Jaina did. Odd, how little either of them cared. 

They were quiet for a while as Sylvanas sat on the edge of the bed and kept after Jaina until she got the entire glass of water down. 

Then they were just touching each other’s hands lightly. Jaina was brushing her thumbs over the finger-shaped bruises darkening over the top of Sylvanas’s. 

“Sorry.” Jaina breathed as her forehead came to rest against Sylvanas’s. 

“Don’t be,” Sylvanas whispered. “I love you so much, Jaina. I’m only sorry I don’t have the right words to tell you. You are so strong. I’ve...I’ve never seen someone so strong and so beautiful.” 

“The feeling is mutual.” Jaina managed, eyelids drooping as more of her weight came to rest against her wife. 

Sylvanas lowered her slowly onto the bed so that she could get at least a moment’s rest. 

Lireesa was back soon thereafter. 

She’d been waiting in the hallway, of course. Drying plenty enough of her own tears before she reappeared. 

And there would be more all-around before their long night was over. 

It wasn’t an easy birth, just as Lireesa had cautioned. Most of it wasn’t beautiful, either. 

There was a lot of Sylvanas’s arm across her chest to give Jaina something to hold onto. She’d long since gotten into bed behind Jaina so that Jaina could brace her hands against her knees to spare the abuse to her own. 

The midwives were the best in Silvermoon. Women who had been delivering babies since long before Sylvanas was even born. They worked calmly and efficiently and injected at least some calm into the room as a result. 

It wasn’t much, but it was something. 

Just when Sylvanas thought her heart was going to give out on her if she had to hear Jaina’s hoarse screams again, another - entirely different kind of cry filled the room. 

Jaina collapsed back against her, sobbing uncontrollably as a platinum-haired, blue-eyed baby made its presence known rather adamantly the entire time she was being cleaned and checked over. 

And Jaina was already reaching out as the little being was brought to them. 

Sylvanas looked on over Jaina’s shoulder in stunned silence as the baby came to rest against her wife’s breast. 

She’d forgotten to breathe. 

It felt like her heart had forgotten to beat. 

Her entire world was the sight of Jaina’s shaking fingertips tracing the line of a small, pointed ear as those furious cries form before softened into little noises that were more beautiful than any ballad ever played. 

“Sylvanas…” Jaina’s voice broke. 

Sylvanas nodded and covered Jaina’s hand with her own as she pressed a kiss against Jaina’s thoroughly wet hair. “I see her,” Sylvanas whispered. 

The response was followed by a strange, strangled laugh. Perhaps a sob. 

“Look what you did, Jaina.” Sylvanas breathed as she tried to force her eyes to focus through the tears distorting her vision. “Belore, look what you did...she’s perfect. She’s so perfect I can’t…” 

“I know.” Jaina whimpered as Sylvanas finally brushed through a still-drying shock of the softest hair she’d ever felt. “Thank you, Sylvanas. Thank you.” 

Jaina’s words continued on in the same vein until they were whispers. Until they’d run out. 

Lireesa, who was standing a few feet away with her hand pressed over her mouth, had been absolutely right. 

Nothing else mattered. To either of them. 

Not the midwives still working. 

Not the overwhelmed Regent Lord stuck in overwhelmed shock and awe.

But there were no real titles in this room right now. No real ranks. 

No Ladies or Generals or Lords. 

Just two mothers. 

And a grandmother. 

A grandmother who Jaina finally looked towards even as Sylvanas still wore the proudest expression Lireesa had ever seen anyone wear. 

“Lireesa?” Jaina’s voice was well and truly ruined. No one noticed. “You should hold her.” 

Lireesa stepped forward and leaned in carefully to take the baby into her arms with the kind of beautifully practiced ease only a mother could have. 

“For just a moment.” Lireesa gasped. She actually gasped as she spoke those words. Breathlessly. 

She was overcome by the grey-blue eyes that blinked up at her. Untainted. Glowing faintly only with the pure, healthy magic of the restored Sunwell.

“Bal’a dash, Belore’dorei.” 

_Greetings, Child of the Sun._


End file.
